




































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































v-v ° 

.. lymrS 

'■£' ' '>!* •" ■• V'“ • 
:«sr. vr • 

°o ' 


kWAW-?A 

, .°0 /ÄA t? + .-l^. 


* w. cPV 

ä\* omo X*^ &• x^\ >oTo i 

C ft Z * vv o Jim * ^c5> 

NV x v % «»* V °o 

/„co“«A * * * “•« \ 

?f -Ä-. ’W' :smx- ■-, ••> ••■—'* « 

Vv 


* *®(® ° ***%. ° 0 #fW* ^VA 

yvS^,- /% v» : 5;f >°y i'vffj 

#! v A v » 

?•> \w/\ vK*‘ M 

Cpt^%° # * ^ , 60 ^A f * * ***° • «*'* 4 0 V 

<* ^ ^ ^V c ‘ a V’l ^ , CT V 

^ \ Jr ♦«jv^a.V ^ «* to % 


•■ tf ^ t ONC A 


\w4/\lW//V » 

* V> a. *• f U .x * sl^^VA» * O 

* TAÖ» <,&«&" 0 4stP%'. */.<•$ 

* »mR; .o.a *» r& 


vV * 

^ . <J> 



. $ 

ln z JlSfe r 'fr < f > - S O 

efb'Tn - Z^TÄ^V^ 1 - , V, >, •* 5 C-.n Z 


« LI* 


2» - «fe^ V^° ‘V#^.- * ^ 

C “ oi « MB® * r° • Jpt|f * ov 

*w' *%fe? tP^, 

i: >: :#• :st ;* V 

V \^ . . ,°V'»OKO’V°° T # 

V *,5 * * ?“ » 'a ryv «t * Oi V\ 



^®s0 9 ^ .1*O k VS. * 11 *“ . ft 6 ^ vt> ^ O S! 0 ° „ <•, „ ??> 


































FRONTIER LIFE. 


OR 


TALES 

OF THE 

SOUTH-WESTERS BORDER. 


/ 

BY FRANCIS HARDMAN. 



NEW YORK: 

PUBLISHED BY C. M. SAXTON, 

25 PARK ROW. 


1859 . 

\- • 







CONTENTS 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA — 

Pagb 

I. THE CYPRESS SWAMP, .... 7 

!!. THE BLOODY BLOCK-HOUSE, ... 36 

ADVENTURES IN TEXAS — 

I. A SCAMPER IN THE PRAIRIE, . . 69 

II. LYNCH LAW,. 119 

III. TWENTY TO ONE,. 197 

TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO 349 
A SKETCH IN THE TROPICS — 

I. THE FUGITIVE, .... . 293 

II. THE BLOCKADE, .... . 216 

A TALE OF THE MEXICAN WAR - 

THE JAROCHOS,. 338 

THE TEXAN RANGER’S BEST SHOT, : 369 






























9ic)beif)Tnires JLoqisioO^« 


CHAPTER I. 

THE CYPRESS SWAMP. 

It was a sultry September afternoon in the year 
18—. My friend Carleton and myself had been for 
three days wandering in the prairies, and had nearly 
filled our tin boxes and other receptacles with speci¬ 
mens of rare and curious plants. The penalty of our 
zeal as naturalists had been a complete roasting 
from the sun, which had shot down its rays during 
the whole time of our ramble, with an ardor only 
to be appreciated by those who have visited the 
prairies of Louisiana. What made matters worse, 
our little store of wine had been nearly expended; 
some taffia, with which we had replenished our flasks, 
had also disappeared ; and the scanty supplies of 




8 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 


water we had been able to discover contained so 
much vegetable and animal matter, as to be undrink¬ 
able, unless in some way qualified. In this dilemma, 
we came to a halt under a clump of hickory trees, 
and dispatched Martin, Carleton’s Acadian servant, 
upon a voyage of discovery. He had assured us that 
we must, ere long, fall in with some party of Amer¬ 
icans — or Cochon Yankees, as he called them — who, 
in spite of the hatred borne them by the Acadians 
and Creoles, were daily becoming more numerous 
in the country. 

After waiting, in anxious expectation of Martin’s 
return, for a full hour, during which the air seemed 
to grow more and more sultry, my companion 
waxed impatient. 

“ What can the fellow be about?” cried he. “ Give 
a blast on the horn,” he added, handing me the in¬ 
strument ; “I cannot sound it myself, for my tongue 
cleaves to my palate from heat and drought.” 

I put the horn to my mouth, and gave a blast; 
but the tones emitted were not the clear echo-awak¬ 
ening sounds that cheer and strengthen the hunter ; 
they were dull and short, as though the air had 
lost all elasticity and vibration, and by its weight 
crushed back the sounds into the horn. It was a 


THE CYPRESS SWAMP. 


9 


warning of some inscrutable danger. We gazed 
around us, and saw that others were not wantiifg. 

The spot where we had halted was on the edge 
of one of those pine forests that extend, almost with¬ 
out interruption, from the hills of the Cote Gelee 
to the Opelousa mountains, and of a vast prairie, 
sprinkled here and there with palmetto fields, clumps 
of trees, and broad patches of brushwood, which ap¬ 
peared mere dark specks on the immense extent of 
plain that lay before us, covered with grass of the 
brightest green, and so long as to reach up to our 
horses’ shoulders. To the right was a plantation of 
palmettos, half a mile wide, bounded by a sort of 
creek or gully, whose banks were covered with gigan¬ 
tic cypress trees. Beyond this, more prairie and a 
wood of evergreen oak. To the east, an impenetrable 
thicket of magnolias, papaws, oak and bean trees — 
to the north, the pine wood before mentioned. 

Such was the rich landscape we had been sur¬ 
rounded by, one short hour before. But now, on 
looking around, we found the scene changed. Our 
horizon was circumscribed by rising clouds of blu¬ 
ish gray vapor, which approached us rapidly from 
the wind quarter. Each moment this fog thick¬ 
ened ; the sun no longer dazzled our eyes when we 
1 * 


10 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 


gazed on it, but showed through the mist like a 
pale red moon; the outlines of the forest disap¬ 
peared, vailed from *our sight by masses of vapor; 
and the air, which, during the morning, had been 
light and elastic, although hot, became heavier and 
more difficult to inhale. The part of the prairie 
that was still visible, had the appearance of a 
narrow, misty vale, inclosed between two mighty 
ranges of gray mountains, which the fog represented. 
As we gazed around us and beheld these strange 
phenomena, our eyes met, and we read in each 
other’s countenance that embarrassment which the 
bravest and most light-hearted are apt to feel when 
hemmed in by perils of which they cannot conjec¬ 
ture the nature. 

“ Fire off your gun,” said I tö Carleton. I started 
at the alteration in my own voice. The gun went 
off, but the report seemed stifled by the compressed 
atmosphere. It did not even alarm some water-fowl 
that were plashing and floundering in the creek a 
few hundred paces from us. 

“ Look at our horses! ” exclaimed Carleton. “ They 
are surely going mad.” The animals were evidently 
uneasy. They pricked up their ears, turned half 
round, and gazed with startled eyes behind them : 


THE CYPKESS SWAMP. 


11 


then strained their heads and necks.in the opposite 
direction to the vapor, snorting violently, and at 
last tried to break away from the trees to which 
they were tethered. A short time previously they 
had appeared much fatigued, but now they were all 
fire and impatience. 

“It is impossible to remain here,” said Carleton. 

“But whither shall we go?” 

“Whithersoever our horses choose to take us.” 

We untied the animals and sprang upon them. 
Scarcely were we in the saddle, when they started 
off at a pace as frantic as if a pack of wolves had 
been at their heels ; and, taking the direction of the 
creek, which ran between the palmetto plantation 
and a cypress wood, they continued along its banks 
at the same wild gallop. As we advanced, the creek 
widened ; in place of palmettos, clumps of marsh 
reeds and rushes showed themselves here and there. 
An unearthly stillness prevailed, only broken now 
and then by the cry of a wild-goose: and even 
that had something strange and unnatural in its 
sound. 

“What can be the meaning of this?” cried 
Carleton. “I burn with heat, and yet have not 
the slightest moisture on my skin. These signs are 


19. 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 


incomprehensible. For God’s sake, sound the horn 
again.” 

I did so, but this time the sound seemed forced 
back through the horn, and died away upon my 
lips. The air was so hot and parching, that our 
horses’ coats, which, a short time previously, had 
been dripping with sweat, were now perfectly dry, 
and the hair plastered together as with lime; the 
animals’ tongues hung out of their mouths, and they 
panted for cooler air. 

“Look yonder!” cried Carleton, and he pointed 
to the line of the horizon, which had hitherto been 
of gray, lead-colored vapor. It was now reddish in 
the south-west quarter, and the vapor had taken 
the appearance of smoke. At the same time we 
heard a distant crackling, like a heavy running-fire 
of musketry, repeated at short intervals. Each lime 
it was heard, our horses were scared and trembled. 

The creek grew rapidly wider, and the ground 
was so swampy, that we could proceed no farther. 
Seeing this, we agreed to return to the prairie, and 
to try if it were not cooler among the palmettos. 
But when we came to the place where we had 
crossed the creek, our horses refused to take the 
leap again, and it was with the greatest difficulty 


THE GYP KESS SWAYIP. 


3 


we at length forced them over. All this time the 
redness in the horizon was getting brighter, and 
the atmosphere hotter and drier; the smoke had 
spread itself over prairie, forest, and plantations. 
We continued retracing our steps as well as we 
could to the spot where we had halted. “See 
there,” said Carleton; “ not half an hour ago those 
reeds were as fresh and green as if they had just 
sprung out of the earth, and now look at them— 
the leaves hang down parched and curled by the 
heat.” 

The whole prairie, the whole horizon to the 
south-west, was one mass of dense smoke, through 
which the sun’s disk looked scarcely brighter than 
a paper-lantern. Behind the thick curtain which 
thus concealed every thing from our view, we heard 
a loud hissing, like that of a multitude of snakes. 
The smoke was stifling and unbearable; our horses 
again turned panting round, and tore madly to¬ 
ward the creek. On reaching it we dismounted, 
but had the greatest difficulty, to prevent them 
from leaping into the water. The streaks of red 
to our right became brighter and brighter, and 
gleamed through the huge, dark trunks of the cypress 
trees; the crackling and hissing were louder than 


14 


A!>TV:.V TITRES IN LOUISIANA. 


ever. Suddenly the frightful truth flashed upon us. 
“The prairie is on fire!” exclaimed Carleton and 
I, in a breath. 

As we uttered the words, there was a loud rust¬ 
ling behind us, and a herd of deer broke headlong 
through a thicket of tall reeds and bulrushes, and 
dashed up to their necks into the water. There 
they remained, not fifty paces from us, little more 
than their heads above the surface, gazing at us 
as though imploring our help and compassion. 
We fancied we could see tears in the poor beasts’ 
eyes. 

We looked behind us. On came the pillars of 
flame, flickering and threatening through the smoke, 
licking up all before them; and preceded by gusts 
of a wind so hot and blasting that it seemed to 
dry the very marrow in our bones. The roaring 
of tfle fire was now distinctly audible, mingled with 
hissing, whistling sounds, and cracking reports, as 
of mighty trees falling. Suddenly a bright flame 
shot up through the stifling smoke, and immedi¬ 
ately afterward a sea of fire burst upon our aching 
eyeballs. The whole palmetto field was in flames. 

The heat was so great, that we every moment 
expected to see our clothes take fire. Our horses 


THE CYPRESS SWAMP. 


15 


dragged us still nearer to the creek, sprang into 
the water, and drew us down the bank after them. 
Another rustling and noise in the thicket of reeds. 
A she-bear, with her cubs at her heels, came toward 
us; and at the same time a second herd of deer 
rushed into the water not twenty yards from where 
we were standing. We pointed our guns at the 
bears ; they moved off toward the deer, w r ho remained 
undisturbed at their approach; and there they stood, 
bears and deer, not five paces apart, but taking no 
more notice of each other than if they had been 
animals of the same species. More beasts now 
flocked to the river. Deer, wolves, foxes, horses—all 
came in crowds to seek shelter in one element from 
the fury of another. Most of them, however, went 
farther up the creek, where it took a northeasterly 
direction, and widened into a sort of lake. Those 
that had first arrived followed the new-comers, and 
we did the same. 

All of a' sudden we heard the baying of hounds. 
“Hurra! there are dogs; men must be near.” A 
volley from a dozen rifles was the answer to our 
exclamation. The shots were fired not two hundred 
yards from us, yet we saw nothing of those who fired 
them. The wild beasts around us trembled and 


16 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 


crouched before this new danger, but did not move a 
step. We ourselves were standing in the midst of 
them up to our waists in water. “Who goes there?” 
we shouted. Another volley, and this time not a 
hundred yards off. We saw the flashes of the pieces, 
and heard voices talking in a dialect compounded of 
French and Indian.. We perceived that we had to 
do with Acadians. A third volley, and the bullets 
whistled about our ears. It was getting past a joke. 
“Halt!” shouted we; “stop firing till you see what 
you are firing at.” There was a dead silence for a 
moment, then a burst of savage laughter. “Fire! 
fire!” cried two or three voices. 

“If you fire,” cried I, “look out for yourselves, for 
we shall do the same. Have a care what you do.” 

“Morbleu! Sacre!” roared half a score of voices. 
“Who is that who dares to give us orders? Fire on 
the dogs! ” 

“If you do, we return it.” 

“Sucre/” screamed the savages. “They are ge; 
tlemen from the towns. Their speech betrays them. 
Shoot them — the dogs, the spies! What do they 
want in the prairie ? ” 

“Your blood be on your own heads!” cried I. 
And, with the feelings of desperate men, we leveled 


THE CYPRESS SWAMP. 


17 


onr guns in the direction m which we had seen 
the flashes of the last volley. At that moment — 
“Halt! What is here?” shouted % stentorian voice 
close to us. 

“ Cease firing, or you are dead men! ” cried five or 
six other voices. 

“ Sacre! ce sont des Americains ,” muttered the 
Acadians. 

u Monsieur Carleton! ” cried a voice. 

“Here!” replied my friend. A boat shot out of 
the smoke, between us and our antagonists. Carle- 
ton’s servant was in it. The next moment we were 
surrounded by a score of Acadians and half-a-dozen 
Americans. 

It appeared that the Acadians, so soon as they 
perceived the prairie to be on fire, had got into a 
boat and descended a creek that flowed into the 
Chicot creek, on which we now were. The beasts 
of the forest and prairie, flying to the water, found 
themselves inclosed in the angle formed by the two 
creeks, and their retreat being cut off by the fire, they 
fell an easy prey to the Acadians—wild, half-savage 
fellow8,’who slaughtered them in a profusion, and with 
a brutality, that excited our disgust; a feeling which/ 
the Americans seemed to share. 


18 


ADVENTUEES IN LOUISIANA. 


“Well, stranger,” said one of the latter, an old 
man, to Carleton, “ do you go with them Acadians, or 
come with us?” . 

“Who are you, my friends?” 

“Friends!” repeated the Yankee, shaking his head, 
“your friendships are soon made. Friends, indeed! 
We ain’t that yet; but if you be minded to come 
with us, well and good.” 

“I met these American gentlemen,” now put in 
Martin, “ and when they heard that you had lost your 
way, and were out of provisions, they were so good 
as to come and seek you.” 

“You be n’t much used to the prairie, I reckon?” 
observed the American who had spoken before. 

“No, indeed, my friend,” said I. 

“ I told you a’ready,” replied the man, with some 
degree of pride, “we ain’t your friends; but if 
you choose to accept American hospitality, you’re 
welcome.” 

We glanced at the Acadians, who were still firing, 
and dragging the beasts they slaughtered into their 
^boat and to the shore. They looked like perfect sav¬ 
ages, and there was little temptation to seek guidance 
or assistance at their hands. 

“If it’s agreeable to you, we will accompany you,” 


THE CYPRESS SWAMP. 


19 


said I to the American, making a step toward the 
boat. We were eager to be off, for the heat and 
smoke were unbearable. The Yankee answered 
neither yes nor no. His attention was engrossed by 
the proceedings of the Acadians. 

“ They ’re worse than Injuns,” said he to a young- 
man standing by him. “They shoot more in an hour 
than they could eat in a year, in their tarnation 
French wastefulness.” 

“I’ve a notion o’ makin’ ’em leave off,” replied the 
young man. 

“The country’s theirs, or their master’s, at least,” 
rejoined the other. “I reckon it’s no business of 
ours.” 

This dialogue was carried on with the greatest 
possible degree of drawling deliberation, and under 
circumstances in which certainly none but a Yankee 
would have thought of wasting time in words. A 
prairie twenty miles long and ten broad, and a couple 
of miles of palmetto ground, all in a blaze—the 
flames drawing nearer every minute, and having in 
some places already reached up to the shores of the 
creek. On the other side a couple of dozen wild 
Acadians were firing right and left, without paying 
the least attention where or whom their bullets 


20 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 


struck. Carleton and myself were standing up to 
our waists in water, but still the Americans chatted 
together as unconcernedly as if they had been seated 
under the roofs of their own block-houses. 

“Do you live far from here?” said I at length to 
the Yankee, rather impatiently. 

“Not so far as I sometimes wish,” answered he, 
with a contemptuous glance at the Acadians, “but 
far enough to get you an appetite for your supper, if 
you ain’t got one already.” And taking a thin roll 
of tobacco out of his pocket, he bit off a piece of it, 
laid his hands upon the muzzle of his rifle, leant his 
chin upon his hands, and seemed to have forgotten 
all about us. To men in our situation, such apathy 
was intolerable. 

“ My good man,” said I, “ will you put your hos¬ 
pitable offer into execution, and take—” 

I could not continue, for I was suffocated with the 
heat and smoke. The water of the creek was actually 
getting warm. 

“I’ve a notion,” said the Yankee, with his usual 
drawl, and apparently only just perceiving our 
distress, “I’ve a notion we had better be movin’ out 
o’ the way o’ the fire. Now, strangers, in with 
you.” And he helped Carleton and myself into the 


THE CYPRESS SWAMP. 


21 


boat, where we lay down, fainting from heat and 
exhaustion. 

When we recovered a little, we found ourselves in 
the bottom of the boat, and the old Yankee standing 
by us, with a bottle of whiskey in his hand, which he 
invited us to taste. We felt better for the cordial 
and able to look around us. 

Before us lay an apparently interminable cypress 
swamp. Behind us was a sheet of water, formed 
by the junction of the two creeks, and at present 
overhung by a mass of smoke which concealed the 
horizon from our view. From time to time there 
was a burst of flame that lit up the swamp, causing 
the cypress trees to look as if they grew out of a sea 
of fire. 

“Come,” said the old Yankee, “we must get on. 
It is near sunset, and we have far to go.” 

“And which way lies our road?” I asked. 

“Across the cypress swamp, unless you’d rather go 
round it.” 

“The shortest road is the best,” said Carleton. 

“The shortest road is the best!” repeated the 
Yankee contemptuously, and turned to his compan¬ 
ions. “Spoken like a Britisher. Well, he shall have 
his own way, and the more so that I believe it as 
/ 


22 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 


good a one as the other. James,” added he, turning 

to one of the men, “you go further down, through 

Snapping Turtle Swamp; we will cross here.” 

• * 

“And our horses?” said I. 

“They are grazing in the rushes. They’ll be took 
care of. We shall have rain to-night, and to-morrow 
they may come round without singeing a hoof.” 

I had found myself once or twice upon the borders 
of the swamp that now lay before us, but had always 
considered it impenetrable, and I did not understand, 
as I gazed into its gloomy depths, how we could 
possibly cross it. 

“Is there any beaten path or road through the 
swamp?” inquired I of the old man. 

“Path or road! Do you take it for a gentleman’s 
park? There’s the path that natur’ has made.” And 
he sprang upon the trunk of a tree covered with moss 
and creepers, which rose out of the vast depth of mud. 

“Here's the path,” said he. 

“Then we will wait and come round with our 
horses,” I replied. “Where shall we find them?” 

“As you please, stranger. We shall cross the 
swamp. Only, if you can’t do like your horses, 
and sup off bulrushes, you are likely to fast the next 
twenty-four hours.” 


THE CYPRESS SWAMP. 


“And why so? There is game and wild-fowi for 
the shooting.” 

“No doubt there is, if you can eat them raw, like 
the Injuns. Where will you find, within two miles 
round, a square foot of dry land to msfe your 
fire on?” 

To say the truth, we did not altogether like the 
company we had fallen into. These Yankee squatters 
bore in general but an indifferent character. They 
were said to fear neither God nor man, to trust 
entirely to their ax and their rifle, and to be little 
scrupulous in questions of property; in short, to 
be scarce less wild and dangerous than the Indians 
themselves. 

The Yankee who had hitherto acted as spokesman, 
and who seemed to be in some way or other the 
chief of the party, was a man apparently near sixty 
years of age, upward of six feet high, thin in person, 
but with bone and muscle indicative of great strength. 
His features were keen and sharp; his eye like a 
falcon’s; his bearing and manners spoke an exalted 
opinion of himself, and (at least as far as we were 
concerned) a tolerable degree of contempt for others. 
His dress consisted of a jacket of skins, secured 
round the waist by a girdle in which was stuck a 


24 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 


long knife; leather breeches, a straw hat without a 
brim, and moccasins. His companions were similarly 
accoutered. 

“Where is Martin?” cried Carleton. 

“Do you mean the Acadian lad who brought us 
to you.” 

“The same.” 

The Yankee pointed toward the smoke. “Yonder, 
no doubt, with his countrymen; but I reckon their 
infernal hunt is over. I hear no more shots.” 

“Then we will go to him. But where are our 
horses?” 

“I’ve a notion,” said one of the younger men, 
“the stranger don’t rightly know what he wants. 
Your horses are grazing a mile off. You would not 
have had us make the poor brutes swim through 
the creek tied to the stern of the boat? ’Lijah is 
with them.” 

“And what will he do with them?” 

“Joel is going back with the boat, and when the 
fire is out he will bring them round,” said the elder 

Yankee. “You don’t suppose—?” added he-He 

left the sentence unfinished, but a smile of scornful 
meaning flitted over his features. 

I looked at Carleton. He nodded. “We will 


THE CYPRESS SWAMP. 


25 


go with you,” said I, “ and trust entirely to your 
guidance.” 

“You do well,” was the brief reply. “Joel,” 
added he, turning to one of the young men, “where 
are the torches? We shall want them.” 

“Torches?” exclaimed I. 

The Yankee gave me a look, as much as to say—• 
Yju must meddle with every thing, must you? 
“Yes,” replied he; “And if you had ten lives, it 
would be as much as they are all worth to enter this 
swamp without torches.” So saying, he struck fire, 
and selecting a couple of pine splinters from several 
lying in the boat, he lighted them', doing every thing 
with such extraordinary deliberation, and so oddly, 
that in spite of our unpleasant situation, we could 
scarcely help laughing. Meantime the boat pushed 
off with two men in it, leaving Carleton, myself, the 
old man, and another American, standing at the 
edge of the swamp. 

“Follow me, step by step, and as if you were 
treading on eggs,” said our leader; “and you, Jona¬ 
than, have an eye to the strangers, and don’t wait 
till they are up to their necks in the mud to pick 
them out of it.” 

We did not feel much comforted by this speech; 

2 


26 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 


but, mustering all our courage, we strode on after 
our plain-spoken guide. 

We had proceeded but a very short distance into 
the swamp before we found out the use of the torches. 
The huge trunks of the cypress-trees, which stood 
four or five yards asunder, shot up to a height of 
fifty feet, entirely free from branches, which then, 
however, spread out at right angles to the stem, 
making the trees appear like gigantic umbrellas, and 
covering the whole morass with an impenetrable roof, 
through which not even a sunbeam could find a pas¬ 
sage. On looking behind us, we saw the daylight at 
the entrance of the swamp, as at the mouth of a vast 
cavern. The further we went the thicker became the 
air ; and at last the effluvia was so stifling and pesti¬ 
lential, that the torches burnt pale and dim, and 
more than once threatened to go out. 

“Yes, yes,” muttered our guide to himself, “a night 
passed in this swamp would leave a man ague-struck 
for the ~est of his days. A night—ay, an hour would 
do it, if your pores were ever so little open ; but now 
there’s no danger; the prairie fire’s good for that; 
dries the sweat and closes the pores.” 

He went on conversing thus with himself, but still 
striding forward, throwing his torchlight on each log 


THE CYPRESS SWAMP. 


27 


or tree-trunk, and trying its solidity with his foot 
before he trusted his weight upon it—doing all this 
with a dexterity and speed that proved his familiarity 
with these dangerous paths. 

“Keep close to me,” said he to us, “but make 
yourselves light—as light, at least, as Britishers can 

make themselves. Hold your breath, and-ha! 

what is that log? Hollo, Hathan,” continued he to 
himself, “what’s come to you, man? Don’t you 
know a sixteen foot alligator from a tree ? ” 

He had stretched out his foot, but, fortunately, 
before setting it down, he poked what he took for a 
log with the butt of his gun. The supposed block of 
wood gave way a little, and the old squatter, throw¬ 
ing himself back, was within an ace of pushing me 
into the swamp. 

“Aha, friend!” said he, not in the least discon¬ 
certed “you thought to sarcumvent honest folk with 
your devilry and cunnin 

“What is the matter?” asked I. 

“Hot much the matter,” he replied, drawing his 

A * 

knife from its sheath. “ Only an alligator : there it 
is again.” 

And in the place of the log, which had disap¬ 
peared, the jaws of a huge alligator gaped before us. 


28 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 


I raised my gun to my shoulder. The Yankee seized 
my arm. 

“Don’t fire, whispered he. “Don’t fire, so long 
as you can help it. We ain’t alone here. This 
will do as well,” he added, as he stooped down, and 
drove his long knife into the alligator’s eye. The 
monster gave a frightful howl, and lashed violently 
with its tail, besprinkling us with the black, slimy 
mud of the swamp. 

“Take that!” said the squatter with a grim smile, 
“and that, and that!” stabbing the brute repeatedly 
between the neck and the ribs, while it writhed and 
snapped furiously at him. Then wiping his knife, 
he stuck it in his belt, and looked keenly and 
cautiously around him. 

“I’ve a notion there must be a tree trunk here- 

# * 

away; it ain’t the first time I’ve followed this track. 
There it is, but a good six foot off.” And so saying, 
he gave a spring, and alighted in safety on the 
stepping place. 

“Have a care, man,” cried L “There is water 
there. I see it glitter.” 

“Pooh, water! What you call water is snakes 
Come on.” 

I hesitated, and a shudder came over me. The 


THE CYPRESS SWAMP. 


29 


leap, as regarded distance, was a trifling one, but it 
was over an almost bottomless chasm, full of the 
foulest mud, on which the moccasin snakes, the 
deadliest of American reptiles, were swarming. 

“Come on!” 

Necessity lent me strength, and, pressing my left 
foot firmly against the log on which I stood, and 
which each moment sank with our weight deeper 
into the soft slimy ground, I sprang across. Carleton 
followed me. 

“Well done!” cried the old man. “Courage, and 
a couple more such leaps, and we shall be getting 
over the worst of it.” 

We pushed on, steadily but slowly, never setting 
our foot on a log till we had ascertained its solidity 
with the butts of our guns. The cypress swamp 
extended four or five miles along the shores of the 
creek: it was a deep lake of black mud, covered 
over and disguised by a deceitful bright green vail 
of creeping plants and mosses, which had spread 
themselves in their rank luxuriance over its whole 
surface, and over the branches and' trunks of the 
trees that were scattered about it. These latter 
were not placed with any very great regularity, but 
had yet been evidently arranged by the hand of man 


30 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 


“There seems to have been a sort of path made 
here,” said I to our guide, “for—” 

“ Silence! ” interrupted he, in a low tone ; “ silence, 
for jour life, till we are on firm ground again. 
Don’t mind the snakes,” added he, as the torch-light 
revealed some enormous ones lying coiled up in the 
moss and lianas close to us. “Follow me closely.” 

But at the very moment that I stretched forward 
my foot, and was about to place it in the print that 
his had left, the hideous jaw of an alligator was sud¬ 
denly stretched over the tree-trunk, not twelve inches 
from my leg, and the creature snapped at me so 
suddenly, that I had but just time to fire my gun 
into his glittering, lizard-like eye. The monster 
bounded back, uttered a sound between a bellow and 
a groan, and striking wildly about him in the morass, 
disappeared. 

The American looked around when I fired, and an 
approving smile played about his mouth as he said 
something to me which I did not hear, owing to‘the 
infernal uproar that .now arose on all sides of us, and 
at first completely deafened me. 

Thousands, tens of thousands, of birds and reptiles, 
alligators, enormous bull-frogs, night-owls, ahingas, 
herons, whose dwellings were in the mud of the 


THE CYPRESS SWAMP. 


31 


swamp, or on its leafy roof, now lifted up their voices, 
bellowing, hooting, shrieking, and groaning. Issuing 
from the obscene retreats in which they had hitherto 
lain hidden, the alligators raised their hideous snouts 
out- of the green coating of the swamp, gnashing 
their teeth, and straining toward us, while the owls 
and other birds circled round our heads, flapping 
and striking us with their wings as they passed. We 
drew our knives and endeavored to defend at least 
our heads and eyes; but all was in vain against the 
multitude of enemies that surrounded us; and the 
unequal combat could not possibly have lasted long, 
when suddenly a shot was fired, followed immediately 
by another. The effect they produced was magical. 
The growls and cries of rage and fury were ex¬ 
changed for howls of fear and complaint: the alliga¬ 
tors withdrew gradually into their native mud; the 
birds flew in wider circles around us; the unclean 
multitude were in full retreat. By degrees the va¬ 
rious noises died away. But our torches had gone 
out, and all around us was as black as pitch. 

“In God’s name, are you there, old man?” asked I. 

“What! still alive?” he replied, with a laugh that 
jarred unpleasantly upon my nerves, “and the other 
Britisher too ? I told ye we were not alone- These 


32 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 


brutes defend themselves if you attack them upon 
their own ground, and a single shot is sufficient to 
bring them about one’s ears. But when they see 
you’re in earnest, they soon get tired of it, and a 
couple more shots sent among them generally drive 
them away again; for they are but senseless squealin’ 
creturs, after all.” 

While he spoke, the old man struck lire, and lit one 
of the torches. 

“Luckily we have rather better footing here,” con¬ 
tinued he. “And now, forward quickly; for the sun 
is set, and we shall have some way to go.” 

And again he led the march with a skill and confi¬ 
dence in himself w T hich each moment increased our 
reliance upon him. After proceeding in this manner 
for about half an hour, we saw a pale light glimmer 
in the distance. 

“Five minutes more and your troubles are over; 
but now is the time to be cautious, for it is on the 
borders of these cursed swamps the alligators best 
love to lie.” 

In my eagerness to find myself once more on dry 
land, I scarcely heard the Yankee’s words ; and as 
the stepping places were now near together, I 
hastened on, and got a little in front of the party. 


THE CYPRESS SWAMP. 


33 


Suddenly I felt a log, on which I had just placed my 
foot, give way under me. I had scarcely time to 
call out “ Halt! ” when I was up to the armpits in the 
swamp, with every prospect of sinking deeper. 

“You will hurry on,” said the old man, with a 
laugh ; and at the same time springing forward he 
caught me by the hair. “Take warning for the 
future,” added he, as he helped me out of the mud; 
“and look there!” I did look, and saw half a dozen 
alligators writhing and crawling in the noxious slime 
within a few yards of us. I felt a sickening sensa¬ 
tion, and for a moment I could not utter a word : the 
Yankee produced his whiskey-flask. 

“Take a swallow of this,” said he ; “but no, better 
wait till we are out of the swamp. Stop a little till 
your heart beats quieter. So, you are better now. 
When you’ve made two or three such journeys 
with old Hathan, you’ll be quite another man. 
How—forward again.” 

A few minutes later we were out of the swamp 
and looking over a field of palmettos that waved and 
rustled in the moonbeams. The air was fresh, and 
once more we breathed freely. 

“How,” said our guide, “a dram, and then in half 

an hour we are at the Salt Lick.” 

2 * 


34 


ADVENTUBES IN LOUISIANA. 


“ Where ? ”, asked I. 

“At the Salt Lick, to shoot a deer or two for 
supper. Hallo! what is that ? ” 

“A thunderclap.” 

“A thunderclap! You have heard but few of 
them in Louisiana, I guess, or you would know the 
difference betwixt thunder and the crack of a back¬ 
woodsman’s rifle. To be sure, yonder oak wood has 
an almighty echo. That’s James’s rifle — he has 
shot a stag.— There ’s another shot.” 

This .time it was evidently a rifle-shot, but re¬ 
echoed like thunder from the depths of the immense 
forest. 

“We must let them know that we’re still in whole 
skins, and not in the maw of an alligator,” said the 
old man, who had reloaded his rifle, and now fired 
it off. 

In half an hour we were at Salt Lick, where we 
found our guide’s two sons busy disemboweling and 
cutting up a fine buck, an occupation in which they 
were so engrossed that they hardly noticed our ar¬ 
rival. We sat down, not a little glad to repose after 
the fatigues and dangers we had gone through. 
When hind and fore quarters, breast and back, were 
all divided in right huntsman-like style, the young 


THE CYPRESS SWAMP. 


35 


men looked at their father. “Will you take a bite 
and sup here?” said the latter, addressing Carleton 
and myself, “or will you wait till we get home?” 

“ How far is there still to go ? ” 

“ How far ? With a good trotting horse, and a 
better road, three quarters of an hour would bring 
you there. You may reckon it a couple of hours.” 

“ Then we should prefer eating something here.” 

“ As you will.” 

Without more words, or loss of time, a haunch was 
cut off one of the hind-quarters ; dry leaves and 
branches were collected; and in one minute a fire 
blazed brightly, the joint turning before it on a 
wooden spit. In half an hour the party was collected 
round a roast haunch of venison, which, although 
eaten without bread or any of the usual condiments, 
certainly appeared to us the very best we ever had 
tasted. 


CHAPTER II. 


THE BLOODY BLOCK-HOUSE. 

Supper over, and clenched by a pull at Nathan’s 
whisky-flask, we prepared for departure. The Amer 
icans threw the choicest part of the buck over their 
shoulders, the old squatter again took the lead, and 
we resumed our march, first across a prairie, then 
through a wood, which was succeeded by a sort 
of thicket, upon whose branches and thorny shrubs 
we left numerous fragments of our dress. We had 
walked several miles almost in silence, when Nathan 
suddenly came to a halt, and let the but-end of his 
rifle fall heavily on the ground. I took the opportu¬ 
nity to ask him where we were. 

“In Louisiana,” replied he, “between the Red 
River, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Mississippi; on 
French ground, and yet in a country where French 
power is worth little. Do you see that?” added he 
suddenly, seizing my arm, and pulling me a few 


THE BLOODY BLOCK-HOUSE. 


37 


paces aside, while he pointed to a dark object which, 
at that distance and in the moonlight, had the 
appearance of an earthen wall. “ Do you know what 
that is?” repeated the squatter. 

“An Indian grave, perhaps,” replied I. 

“A grave it is,” was the answer, “but not of the 
redskins. As brave a backwoodsman as ever crossed 
the Mississippi lies buried there. You are not 
altogether wrong, though. I believe it was once an 
Indian mound.” 

We had walked on while he spoke, and I now dis> 
tinguished a hillock or mound of earth, with nearly 
perpendicular sides, surmounted by a block-house, 
foriped of unhewn cypress trunks, of a solidity and 
thickness upon which four-and-twenty-pounders would 
have had some difficulty in making an impression. 
Its roof rose about ten feet above a palisade inclosing 
the building, and consisting of stout saplings sharp¬ 
ened at the top, and stuck in the ground at a very 
short distance from each other, being, moreover, 
strengthened and bound together with wattles and 
branches. The building had evidently been con¬ 
structed more as a place of refuge and defense than 
as a habitual residence. 

A ladder was now lowered, by which we ascended 


38 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 


to the top of the mound. There was a small door in 
the palisades, which Nathan opened, and passed 
through, we following. 

The block-house was of equal length and breadth, 
about forty feet square. On entering it we found 
nothing but the bare walls, with the exception of a 
wide chimney of sun-baked brick, and in one corner 
a large wooden slab partly imbedded in the ground. 

“Don’t tread upon that board,” said the old man 
solemnly, as we approached the slab to examine it, 
“it is holy ground.” 

“ How holy ground ? ” 

“There lies beneath it as brave a fellow as ever 
handled ax or rifle. He it was built this block-house 
and christened it the Bloody Block-house; and bloody 
it proved to be to him. But you shall hear more of 
it if you like. You shall hear how six American 
rifles were too many for ninety French and Spanish 
muskets. 

Carleton and I shook our heads incredulously. The 
Yankee signed us to follow him, led us out of the 
block-house and through the stockade to a grassy 
projection of the hillock. 

“^Ninety French and Spanish muskets!” repeated 
he in a firm voice, and weighing on each word. 


THE BLOODY BLOCK-HOUSE. 


39 


‘•Opposed to them were Asa Holins, with his three 
brothers, his brother-in-law, a cousin, and their wives. 
He fell like a brave American as he was, but not 
alone, for the dead bodies of thirty foes lay around 
the block-house when he died. They are buried 
there,” added he, pointing to a row of cotton-trees a 
short distance off, which, in the pale moonlight, might 
have been taken for the specters of the departed; 
“Under those cotton-trees they fell, and there they 
are buried.” 

The old squatter remained for a short space in his 
favorite attitude, his hands crossed on his rifle, and 
his chin resting upon them. He seemed to be sum¬ 
moning up the recollections of a time long gone by. 
We did not care to interrupt him. The stillness of 
the night, the light of the moon and stars, that gave 
the prairie lying before us the appearance of a silvery 
sea, the somber forest on either side of the block¬ 
house, of which the edges only were lighted up by 
the moonbeams, the vague allusions our guide had 
made to some fearful scene of strife and slaughter 
that had been enacted in this now peaceful glade—all 
these circumstances worked upon our imaginations, 
and we felt unwilling to break the silence which 
added to the impressive beauty of the forest scene. 


40 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 


“Did you ever float down the Mississippi?” asked 
N athan abruptly. As he spoke he sat down upon the 
bank, and made a sign to us to sit beside him. 

“Did you ever float down the Mississippi?” 

“ No; we came up it from New Orleans hither.” 

“ That is nothing; the stream is not half so danger¬ 
ous there as above Natchez. We came down: six 
men, four women, and twice as many children, all 
the way from the mouths of the Ohio to the Red 
River; and bad work we had of it, in a crazy old 
boat, to pass the rapids, and avoid the sand-banks, 
and snags, and sawyers, and whatever the devil they 
call them. I calculate we weren’t sorry when we 
left the river and took to dry land again. The first 
thing we did was to make a wigwam, Injun fashion, 
with branches of trees. This was to shelter the 
women and children. Two men remained to protect 
them, and the other four divided into two parties, and 
set off, one south, and t’other west, to look for a good 
place for a settlement. I and Righteous, one of Asa’s 
brothers, took the southerly track. 

It was no pleasuring party, that journey, but a 
right-down hard and dangerous expedition, through 
cypress swamps, where snapping turtles were plenty 
as mosquitoes, and at every step the congo and 


THE BLOODY BLOCK-HOUSE. 


41 


moccasin snakes writhed about our ankles. We 
persevered, however. We had a few handfuls of 
corn in our hunting-pouches, and our calabashes well 
filled with whisky. With that and our rifles, we die 
not want for food. 

At length, on the fourth day, we came to an 
upland or rolling prairie, as we call it, from the top 
of which we had a view that made our hearts leap 
for joy. A lovely strip of land lay before us, bounded 
at the further end by a forest of evergreen oaks, 
honey-locusts, and catalpas. Toward the north was 
a good ten mile of prairie; on the right hand a wood 
of cotton-trees, and on the left the forest in which 
you now are. We decided at once that we should 
find no better place than this to fix ourselves; and 
we went back to tell Asa and the others of our dis¬ 
covery, and to show them the way to it. Asa and 
one of his brothers returned with us, bringing part 
of our traps. They were as pleased with the place 
as we were, and we went back again to fetch the rest 
But it was no easy matter to bring our plunder 
and the women and children through the forests 
and swamps. We had to cut paths through the 
thickets, and to make bridges and rafts to cross 
the creeks and marshes. After ten days’ labor, 


42 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 


however, and with the help of our axes, we were at 
our journey’s end. 

We began directly clearing and cutting down 
trees, and in three weeks we had built a log house, 
and were able to lie down to rest without fear of 
being disturbed by the wolves or catamounts. We 
built two more houses, so as to have one for each two 
families, and then set to work to clear the land. We 
had soon shaped out a couple of fields, a ten-acre 
one for maize, and another half the size for tobacco. 
These we began to dig and hoe ; but the ground was 
hard ; and though we all worked like slaves, we saw 
there was nothing to be made of it without plowing. 
A plowshare we had, and 1 a plow was easily made — 
but horses were wanting: so Asa and I took fifty 
dollars, which was all the money we had among us, 
and set out to explore the country forty miles round, 
and endeavor to meet with somebody who would sell 
us a couple of horses and two or three cows. ISTot a 
clearing or settlement did we find, and at last we 
returned discouraged, and again took to digging. 
On the very first day after our return, as we were 
toiling away in the field, a trampling of horses was 
heard, and four men, mounted, and followed by a 
couple of wolf-hounds, came cantering over the 


THE BLOODY BLOCK-HOUSE. 


43 


prairie. It struck us that this would be a famous 
chance for buying a pair of horses, and Asa went to 
meet them, to invite them to alight and refresh. At 
the same time we took our rifles, which were always 
beside us when we worked in the fields, and ad¬ 
vanced toward the strangers. But when they saw 
our guns, they set spurs to their horses, and rode off 
to a greater distance. Asa called out to them not to 
fear, for our rifles were to use against bears, and 
wolves, and Redskins, and not against Christian men. 
Upon this, down they came again ; we brought out a 
calabash of real Monongahela, and after they had 
taken a dram, they got off their horses, and came in 
and ate some venison, which the women had got 
ready. They were Creoles, half Spanish, half French,— 
with a streak of the Injun; and they spoke a sort of 
gibberish not easy to understand. But Asa, who had 
served in Lafayette’s division in the time of the war, 
knew French well; and when they had. eaten and 
drunk, he tried to make a deal with them for two of 
their horses. 

It was easy to see that they were not the sort of 
men with whom decent folk could trade. First they 
would, then they would n’t: which horses did we 
want, and what would we give. We offered them 


44 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 


thirty-five dollars tor their two best horses — and a 
heavy price it was, for at that time money was scarce 
in the settlements. They wanted forty, but at last 
took the thirty-five; and after getting three parts 
drunk upon taffia, which they asked to wet the bar¬ 
gain as they said, they mounted two upon each of the 
remaining horses and rode away. 

We now got on famously with our fields, and 
sowed fifteen acres of maize and tobacco, and then 
began clearing another ten-acre field. We were one 
day hard at work at this, when one of my boys came 
running to us crying out, “Father! father! The 
Redskins!” We snatched up our rifles, and hastened 
to the top of the little rising ground on which our 
houses were built, and thence we saw, not Injuns, but 
fourteen or fifteen Creoles, galloping toward our 
clearing, halloing and huzzaing like mad. When 
they were within fifty yards of us, Asa stepped 
forward to meet them. As soon as they saw him, 
one of them called out, “There is the the thief! 
There is the man who stole my brown horse! ” Asa 
made no answer to this, but waited till they came 
nearer, when one of them rode up to him and asked 
who was the chief in the settlement. “There is no 
chief here,” answered Asa; “ we are all equals and 


THE BLOODY BLOCK-HOUSE. 


45 


free citizens.” “You have stolen a horse from our 
friend Monsieur Croupier,” replied the other. “You 
must give it up.” 

“ Is that all ? ” said Asa, quietly. 

“No; you must show us by what right you hunt 
on this territory.” 

“Yes,” cried half a dozen others, “we’ll have no 
strangers on our hunting grounds; the bears and 
. caguars are getting scarcer than ever; and as for 
buffaloes, they are clean exterminated.” And all the 
time they were talking, they kept leaping and gal¬ 
loping about like madmen. 

“The sooner the bears and caguars are killed the 
better,” said Asa. “ The land is not for dumb brutes, 
but for men.” 

The Creoles, however, persisted that we had no 
right to hunt where we were, and swore we should 
go away. Then Asa asked them what right they 
had to send us away. This seemed to embarrass 
them, and they muttered and talked together; so 
that it was easy to see there was no magistrate or 
person in authority among them, but they were a 
party of scamps who had come in hopes to frighten 
us. At last they said they should inform the gov¬ 
ernor, and the commandant at Natchitoches, and the 


46 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 


Lord knows who besides, that we had come and 
squatted ourselves down here, and built houses, and 
cleared fields, and all without right or permission; 
and that then we might look out. So Asa began to 
lose patience, and told them they might go to the 
devil, and that, if they were not off soon, he should 
be apt to hasten their movements. 

44 1 must have my horse back!” screamed the Creole 
whom they called Croupier. 

44 You shall,” replied Asa, 44 both of them, if you 
return the five-and-thirty dollars.” 

44 It was only fifteen dollars,” cried the lying Creole. 

Upon this Asa called to us, and we stepped ou-t 
from among the cotton-trees, behind which we had 

been standing all the while; and when the Creoles 

# 

saw us, each with his rifle on his arm, they seemed 
rather confused and drew back a little. 

44 Here are my comrades,” said Asa, 44 who will all 
bear witness that the horses were sold at the prices 
of twenty dollars for the one and fifteen for the other. 
And if any one says the contrary, he says that which 
is not true.” 

“Larifari!” roared Croupier. 44 You shan’t stop 
here to call us liars, and spoil our hunting-ground, 
and build houses on our land. His excellency the 


THE BLOODY BLOCK-HOUSE. 


47 

governor shall be told of it, and the commandant at 
Natchitoches, and you shall be driven away.” And 
the other Creoles, who, while Asa was speaking, ap¬ 
peared to be getting more quiet and reasonable, now 
became madder than ever, and shrieked, and swore, 
and galloped backward and forward, brandishing 
their fowling-pieces like wild Injuns, and screaming 
out that we should leave the country, the game 
wasn’t too plenty for them, and such like. At 
length Asa and the rest of us got angry, and called 
out to them to take themselves off, or they would 
be sorry for it; and when they saw us bringing 
our rifles to our shoulders, they put spurs to their 
horses, and galloped away to a distance of some five 
hundred yards. There they halted, and set up such 
a screeching as almost deafened us, fired off some 
of their old rusty guns, and then rode away. We 
all laughed at their bragging and cowardice, except 
Asa, who looked thoughtful. 

“I fear some harm will come of this,” said he. 

“ Those fellows will go talking about us in their own 
country; and if it gets to the ears of the governors 
and commanding-officers that we have settled down 
on their territory, they will be sending troops to 
dislodge us. 


48 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 


Asa’s words made us reflect, and we held counsel 
together as to what was best to be done. I proposed 
that we should build a block-house on the Indian 
mound to defend ourselves in if we were attacked. 

“Yes,” said Asa, “but we are only six, and they 
may send hundreds against us.” 

i 

“Very true,” said I; “but if we had a strong 
block-house on the top of the mound, that would be 
as good as sixty, and we could hold out against a hun¬ 
dred Spanish musketeers. And it’s my notion, that 
if we give up such a handsome piece of ground as we 
have cleared here, without firing a shot, we deserve 
to have our rifles broken on our own shoulders.” 

Asa, however, did not seem altogether satisfied. It 
was easy to see he was thinking of the women and 
children. Then said Asa’s wife, Rachel, “I calculate,” 
said she, “that Nathan, although he is my brother, 
and I oughtn’t to say it, has spoke like the son 
of his father, who would have let himself be scalped 
ten times over before he would have given up such 
an almighty beautiful piece of land. And what’s 
more, Asa, I for one won’t go back up the omnipotent 
dirty Mississippi; and that’s a fact.” 

“ But if a hundred Spanish soldiers come,” said 
Asa, “ and I reckon they will come ? ” 


THE BLOODY BLOCK-HOUSE. 


49 


“ Build the block-house, man, to defend yourselves; 
and when our people up at Salt River and Cum¬ 
berland hear that the Spaniards are quarreling with 
us, I guess they won’t keep their hands crossed before 
them.” 

So seeing us all, even the women, thus determined, 
Asa gave in to our way of thinking, and the very 
same day we began the block-house you see before 
you. The walls were all of young cypress-trees, and 
we would fain have roofed it with the same wood; 
but the smallest of the cypresses were five or six feet 
thick, and it was no easy matter to split them. So 
we were obliged to use fir, which, when it is dried by 
a few days’ sun, burns like tinder. But we little 
thought when we did so, what sorrow those cursed 
fir planks would bring us. 

When all was ready, well and solidly nailed and 
hammered together, we made a chimney, so that the 
women might cook if necessary, and then laid in a 
good store of hams and dried bears’ flesh, filled the 
meal and whisky tubs, and the water casks, and 
brought our plow and what we had most valuable 
into the block-house. We then planted the palisades, 
securing them strongly in the ground, and to each 

other, so that it might not be easy to tear them up. 

3 


50 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 


We left, as you see, a space of five yards between 
the stockade and the house, to have room to move 
about in. An enemy would have to take the pali¬ 
sades before he could do injury to the house itself, 
and we reckoned that with six good rifles in such 
hands as ours, it would require a pretty many Span¬ 
ish musketeers to drive us from our outer defenses. 

^ f 

In six weeks all was ready; all our tools and 
rations, except what we wanted for daily use, were 
carried into the fort, and we stood looking at the 
work of our hands with much satisfaction. Asa was 
the only one who seemed cast down. 

“I’ve a notion,” said he, “this block-house will be a 
bloody one before long; and what ’s more, I guess it 
will be the blood of one of us that’ll redden it. I’ve 
a sort of feelin’ of it, and who it ’ll be.” 

“ Pooh, Asa! what notions be these! Keep a light 
heart, man.” 

And Asa seemed to cheer up again, and to forget 
his gloomy fancies, and the next day we returned to 
working in the fields ; but as we were not using the 
horses, one of us went every morning to patrol ten 
or twelve miles backward and forward, just for pre¬ 
caution’s sake. At night two of us kept watch, 
relieving one another, and patrolling about the 


THE BLOODY BLOCK-HOUSE. 


51 


neighborhood of our clearing. One morning we 
were working in the bush and circling trees, when 
Eighteous rode up full gallop. 

“They’re coming!” cried he; “a hundred'of them 
at least! ” 

“Are they far off?” said Asa, quite quietly, and a. 
if he had been talking of a herd of deer. 

“They are coming over the prairie. In less than 
half an hour they will be here.” 

“How are they marching? With van and rear 
guard? In what order?” 

“Ho order at all, but all of a heap together.” 

“ Good! ” said Asa, “ they can know but little about 
bush-fighting or soldiering of any kind. How then, 
the women into the block-house.” 

Eighteous galloped up to our fort, to be there 
first in case the enemy should find it. The women 
soon followed, carrying what they could with them. 
When we were all in the block-house, we pulled up 
the ladder, made the gate fast, and there we were. 

We felt somehow strange when we found ourselves 
shut up inside the palisades, and only able to look 
out through the slits we had left for our rifles. We 
were n’t used to be confined in a place, and it made 
us right down wolfish. There we remained, however, 


52 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 


as still as mice. Scarce a whisper was to be heard. 
Kachel tore up old shirts and greased them, for 
wadding for the guns ; we changed our flints, and 
fixed every thing about the rifles properly, while the 
women sharpened our knives and axes all in silence. 

Nearly an hour had passed in this way when we 
heard a shouting and screaming, and a few musket- 
shots ; and we saw through our loopholes some Span¬ 
ish soldiers running backward and forward on the 
crest of the slope on which our houses stood. Sud¬ 
denly a great pillar of smoke arose, then a second, 
then a third. 

“God be good to us!” said Rachel, “they are 
burning our houses.” We were all trembling, and 
quite pale with rage. Harkye, stranger, when men 
have been slaving and sweating for four or five 
months to build houses for their wives and for the 
\ poor worm's of children, and then a parcel of devils 
from hell come and burn them down like maize-stalks 
in a stubble-field, it is no wonder that their teeth 
should grind together, and their fists clench of them¬ 
selves. So it was with us; but we said nothing, for 
our rage would not let us speak. But presently, as 
we strained our eyes through the loopholes, the 
Spaniards showed themselves at the opening of the 


THE BLOODY BLOCK-HOUSE. 


53 


forest yonder, coming toward the block-house. We 
tried to count them, but at first it was impossible, 
for they came on in a crowd, without any order. 
They thought little enough of those they were 
seeking, or they would have been more prudent. 
However, when they came within five hundred 
paces, they formed ranks and we were able to count 
them. There were eighty-two foot soldiers with 
muskets and carbines, and three officers on horse¬ 
back, with drawn swords in their hands. The latter 
dismounted, and their example was followed by 
seven other horsemen, among whom we recognized 
three of the rascally Creoles who had brought all 
this trouble upon us. He they called Croupier was 
among them. 'The other four were also Creoles, 
Acadians or Canadians. We had seen lots of their ^ 
sort on the Upper Mississippi, and fine hunters 
they were, but mostly wild, drunken, debauched 
barbarians. 

The Acadians came on in front and they set up a 
whoop when they saw the block-house and stockade; 
but finding we were prepared to receive them, they 
retreated upon the main body. We saw them speak¬ 
ing to the officers, as if advising them ; but the latter 
shook their heads, and the soldiers continued moving 


54 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 


on. They were in uniforms of all colors — blue, 
white, and brown, but each man dirtier than his 
neighbor. They marched in good order, nevertheless, 
the captain and officers coming on in front, and the 
Acadians keeping on the flanks. The latter, however, 
edged gradually off toward the cotton-trees, and 
presently disappeared among them. 

“ Them be the first men to pick off,” said Asa, when 
he saw this maneuver of the Creoles. “They’ve 
steady hands and sharp eyes; but if once we get rid 
of them, we need not mind the others.” 

The Spaniards were now within a hundred yards 
of us. 

“Shall I let fly at the thievin’ incendiaries?” said 
Righteous. 

“ God forbid! ” replied Asa, quite solemn-like. “ We 
will defend ourselves like men; but let us wait till 
we are attacked—and may the blood that is shed lie 
at the door of the aggressors.” 

The Spaniards now saw plainly that they would 
have to take the stockade before they could get at us, 
and the officers seemed consulting together. 

“Halt!” cried Asa, suddenly. • 

“Messieurs les Americains said the captain, 
looking up at our loopholes. 


THE BLOODY BLOCK-HOUSE. 


55 


“ What’s your pleasure?” demanded Asa. 

Upon this the captain stuck a dirty pocket-hand¬ 
kerchief upon the point of his sword, and laughing 
with his officers, moved some twenty paces forward, 
followed by the troops. Thereupon Asa again shouted 
to him to halt. 

“This is not according to the customs of war,” said 
he. “The flag of truce may advance, but if it is 
accompanied, we fire.” 

It was evident that the Spaniards never dreamed 
of our attempting to resist them; for there they stood 
in line before us, and if we had fired, every shot must 
have told. The Acadians, who kept themselves all 
this time snug behind the cotton-trees, called more 
than once to the captain to withdraw his men into the 
wood; but he only shook his head contemptuously. 
When, however, he heard Asa threaten to fire, he 
looked puzzled, and as if he thought it just possible 
we might do as we said. He ordered his men to halt, 
and called out to us not to fire till he had explained 
what they came for. 

“Then cut it short,” cried Asa, sternly. “You’d 
have done better to explain before you burned down 
our houses, like a pack of Mohawks on the war-path.” 

As he spoke three bullets whistled from the edge 


56 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 


of the forest, and struck the stockades within a tew 
inches of the loophole at which he stood. They 
were tired by the Creoles, who, although they could 
not possibly distinguish Asa, had probably seen his 
rifle barrel glitter through the opening. As soon as 
they had fired, they sprang behind their trees again, 
craning their heads forward to hear if there was a 
groan or a cry. They’d have done better to have 
kept quiet; for Righteous and I caught sight of them, 
and let fly at the same moment. Two of them fell 
and rolled from behind the trees, and we saw that 
they were the Creole called Croupier, and another of 
our horse-dealing friends. 

When the Spanish officer heard the shots, he ran 
back to his men, and shouted out, “Forward! To the 
assault!” They came on like mad, for a distance of 
thirty paces, and then, as if they thought we were 
wild-geese, to be frightened by their noise, they fired 
a volley against the block-house. 

“Now then!” cried Asa, “are you loaded, Nathan 
and Righteous ? I take the captain—you, Nathan, the 
lieutenant—Righteous, the third officer—James, the 
sergeant. Mark your men, and waste no powder.” 

The Spaniards were still some sixty yards off, but 
we were sure of our mark at a hundred and sixty; 


TILE BLOODY BLOCK-HOUSE. 


57 


and that if they had been squirrels instead of men. 
¥e fired : the captain and lieutenant, the third officer, 
two sergeants, and another man writhed for an 
instant upon the grass. The next moment they 
stretched themselves out—dead. 

All was now confusion among the musketeers, who 
ran in every direction. Most of them took to the 
wood, but about a dozen remained and lifted up their 
officers, to see if there was any spark of life left 
in them. 

“Load again—quick!” said Asa, in a low voice. 
We did so; and six more Spaniards tumbled over. 
Those who still kept their legs ran off as if the soles 
of their shoes had been of red-hot iron. 

We set to work to pick out our touch-holes and 
clean our rifles, knowing that we might not have time 
later, and that a single miss-fire might cost us all out¬ 
lives. We then loaded, and began calculating what 
the Spaniards would do next. It is true they had 
lost their officers ; but there were five Acadians with 
them, and those were the men we had most reason to 
fear. Meantime the vultures and turkey-buzzards 
had already begun to assemble, and presently hun¬ 
dreds of them were circling and hovering over the 
carcasses, which they as yet feared to touch. 

3 * 


58 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 


Just then Righteous, who had the sharpest eye of 
us all, pointed to the corner of the wood, just yonder, 
where it joins the brushwood thicket. I made a sign 
to Asa, and we all looked, and saw there was some¬ 
thing creeping and moving through the underwood. 
Presently we distinguished two Acadians heading a 
score of Spaniards, and endeavoring, under cover of 
the bushes, to steal across the open ground to the 
east side of the forest. 

“The Acadians for you, Nathan and Righteous— 
the Spaniards for us,” said Asa. The next momen: 
two Acadians and four Spaniards lay bleeding in the 
brushwood. But the bullets were scarcely out of our 
rifles when a third Acadian, whom we had not seen, 
started up. “Now’s the time,” shouted he, “before 
they have loaded again. Follow me! — we will haye 
their block-house yet.” And he sprang across, fol¬ 
lowed by the Spaniards. Although we had killed or 
disabled a score of our enemies, those who remained 
were more than ten to one of us ; and we were even 
worse off than at first, for then they were all together, 
and now we had them on each side of us. But we 
did not let ourselves be discouraged, although we 
could not help feeling that the odds against us were 
fearfully great. 


THE BLOODY BLOCK-HOUSE. 


59 


We had now to keep a sharp look-out; for if one 
ot us showed himself at a loophole, a dozen bullets 
rattled about his ears. There were many shot-holes 
through the palisades, which were covered with 
white streaks where the splinters had been torn off 
by the lead. The musketeers had spread themselves 
all along the edge of the forest, and had learned by 
experience to keep close to their cover. We now and 
then got a shot at them, and four or five more were 
killed; but it was slow work, and the time seemed 
very long. 

Suddenly the Spaniards set up a loud shout. At 
first we could not make out what was the matter, but 
presently we heard a hissing and crackling on the 
roof of the block-house. They had wrapped tow 
around their cartridges, and one of the shots had set 
light to the fir-boards. Just as we found it out, they 
gave three more hurras, and we saw the dry planks 
begin to flame, and the fire to spread. 

“We must put that out and at once,” said Asa, “if 
we don’t wish to be roasted alive. Some one must get 
up the chimney with a bucket of water. I ’ll go myself.” 

“ Let me go, Asa,” said Righteous. 

“You stop here. It don’t matter who goes. The 
thing will be done in a minute.” 


60 


ADV ENT U RES IN LOUISIANA. 


He put a chair on the table, and got upon it, and 
then seizing a bar which was fixed across the chimney 
to hang hams upon, he drew himself up by his arms, 
and Rachel handed him a pail of water. All this 
time the flame was burning brighter, and the Span¬ 
iards getting louder in their rejoicings and hurras. 
Asa stood upon the bar, and raising the pail above 
his head, poured the water out of the chimney upon 
the roof.” 

“More to the left, Asa,” said Righteous; “the fire 
is strongest to the left.” 

“Tarnation seize it!” cried Asa, “I can’t see. 
Hand me another pailfull.” 

We did so; and when he had got it, he put his head 
out at the top of the chimney to see where the fire 
was, and threw the water over the exact spot. But 
at the very moment that he did, the report of a dozen 
muskets was heard. 

“Ha!” cried Asa, in an altered voice, “I have it.” 
And the hams and bucket came tumbling down the 
chimney, and Asa after them, all covered with blood. 

“In God’s name, man, are you hurt?” cried Rachel. 

“Hush, wife!” replied Asa; “keep quiet. I have 
enough for the rest of my life, which won’t be long : 
but never mind, lads; defend yourselves well, and 


THE BLOODY BLOCK-HOUSE. 


61 


don’t fire two at the same man. Save jour lead, for 
you will want it all. Promise me that.” 

“ Asa! my beloved Asa! ” shrieked Rachel; “ if you 
die, I shall die too.” 

“Silence! foolish woman; and think of our child, 
and the one yet unborn! Hark! I hear the Span¬ 
iards! Defend yourselves; and Nathan, be a father 
to my children.” 

I had barely time to press his hand and promise. 
The Spaniards, who had guessed our loss, rushed like 
mad wolves up the mound, twenty on one side, and 
thirty or more on the other. 

“Steady!” cried I. “Righteous, here with me; 
and you, Rachel, show yourself worthy to be Hiram 
Strong’s daughter, and Asa’s wife: load this rifle for 
me while I fire my own.” 

“O God! O God!” cried Rachel; “The hell-hounds 
have murdered my Asa!” 

She clasped her husband’s body in her arms, and 
there was no getting her away. I felt sad enough, 
myself, but there was scanty time for grieving; for a 
party of Spaniards, headed by one of the Acadians, 
was close up to the mound on the side which I was 
defending. I shot the Acadian; but another, the 
sixth, and last but one, took his place. “Rachel!” 


62 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 


cried I, “the rifle, for God’s sake, the rifle! a single 
bullet may save all our lives.” 

But no Rachel came; and the Acadian and Span¬ 
iards, who, from the cessation of our fire, guessed that 
we were either unloaded, or had expended our 
ammunition, now sprang forward, and by climbing, 
and scrabbling, and getting On one another’s shoul¬ 
ders, managed to scale the side of the mound, almost 
perpendicular as you see it is. And in a minute 
the Acadian and half a dozen Spaniards, with axes, 
were chopping away at the palisades, and severing 
the wattles which bound them together. To give the 
devil his due, if there had been three like that Aca¬ 
dian, it would have been all up with us. He handled 
his ax like a real backwoodsman; but the Spaniards 
wanted either the skill or the strength of arm, and 
made little impression. There were only Righteous 
and myself to oppose them; for a dozen more soldiers, 
with the seventh of those cursed Acadians, were 
attacking the other side of the stockade. 

Righteous shot down one of the Spaniards; but 
just as he had done so, the Acadian tore up a pali¬ 
sade by the roots, (how he did it I know not to this 
hour,) held it with the wattles and branches hanging 
round it like a shield before him, guarding off a blow 


THE BLOODY' KCÜÜK-HÜTSE. 


63 


I aimed at him, then hurled it against me with such 
force that I staggered backward, and he sprang 
past me. I thought it was all over with us. It is 
true that Eighteous, with the butt of his rifle, split 
the skull of the first Spaniard who entered, and drove 
his hunting-knife into the next; but the Acadian 
alone was man enough to give us abundant occupa¬ 
tion, now he had got in our rear. Just then there 
was a crack of a rifle, the Acadian gave a leap into 
the air and fell dead, and at the same moment my 
son Godsend, a boy ten years old, sprang forward, in 
his hand Asa’s rifle, still smoking from muzzle and 
touch-hole. The glorious boy had loaded the piece 
when he saw that Eachel did not do it, and in the 
very nick of time had shot the Acadian through the 
heart. This brought me to myself again, and with ax 
in one hand and knife in the other, I rushed in 
among the Spaniards, hacking and hewing tfght and 
left. It was a real butchery, which lasted a good 
quarter of an hour, as it seemed to me, but certainly 
some minutes ; until at last the Spaniards got sick of 
it, and would have done so sooner had they known 
that their leader was shot. They jumped off the 
mound and ran away, such of them as were able. 
Eighteous and I put the palisade in its place again, 


(U ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 

securing it as well as we could, and then, telling my 
boy to keep watch, ran over to the other side, where 
a desperate fight was going on. 

Three of our party, assisted by the women, were 
defending the stockade against a score of Spaniards, 
who kept poking their bayonets between the pali¬ 
sades, till all our people were wounded and bleeding. 
But Rachel had now recovered from her first grief at 
her husband’s death, or rather it had turned to rage 
and revenge, and there she was like a furious tigress, 
seizing the bayonets as they were thrust through the 
stockade, and wrenching them off the muskets, and 
sometimes pulling the muskets themselves out of the 
soldiers’ hands. But all this struggling had loosened 
the palisades, and there were one or two openings 
in them through which the thin-bodied Spaniards, 
pushed on by their comrades, were able to pass. 
Just as we came up, two or three of these copper- 
colored Dons had squeezed themselves through, 
without their muskets, but with their short sabers in 
their hands. They are active, dangerous fellows, 
those Spaniards, in a hand-to-hand tussel. One of 
them sprang at me, and if it had not beep for my 
hunting-knife, I was done for, for I had no room to 
swing my ax; but as he came on I hit him a blow 


THE BLOODY BLOCK-HOUSE. 


65 


with my fist, which knocked him down, and then 
ran my knife into him, and jumping over his body 
snatched a musket out of Each el’s hand, and began 
laying about me with the but-end of it. I was sorry 
not to have my rifle, which was handier than those 
heavy Spanish muskets. The women were now in 
the way — we had n’t room for so many — sol called 
out to them to get into the blockrhouse and load the 
rifles. There was still another Acadian alive, and 
I knew that the fight wouldn’t end till he was done 
for. Buf while we were fighting, Godsend and the 
women loaded the rifles and brought them out, and 
firing through the stockade, killed three or four, and, 
* as luck would have it, the Acadian was one of the 
number. So when the Spaniards, who are just like 
hounds, and only come on if led and encouraged, 
saw their leader had fallen, they sprang off the 
mound, with a c Car ago ! Malditos ! ’ and ran away 
as if a shell had burst among them.” 

The old squatter paused, and drew a deep breath. 
He had forgotten his usual drawl and deliberation, 
and had become animated and eager while describ¬ 
ing the stirring incidents in which he had borne 

so active a part. When he had taken breath, he 

✓ 

continued : 


66 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 


“ I could n’t say how long the fight lasted; it 
seemed short we were so busy, and yet long, deadly 
long. It is no joke to have to defend one’s life, and • 
the lives of those one loves best, againt fourscore 
bloodthirsty Spaniards, and that with only half a 
dozen rifles for arms, and a few palisades for shelter. 
When it was over we were so dog-tired that we fell 
down where we were, like over-driven oxen, and 
without minding the blood which lay like water on 
the ground. Seven Spaniards and two Acadians 
lay dead within the stockade. We ourselves were 
all wounded and hacked about, some with knife- 
stabs and saber-cuts, others with musket-shots ; ugly 
wounds enough, some of them, but none mortal. If 
the Spaniards had returned to the attack, they would 
have made short work of us ; for as soon as we left 
off fighting, and our blood cooled, we became stiff 
and helpless. But now came the women with rags 
and bandages, and washed our wounds and bound 
them up, and we dragged ourselves into the block¬ 
house and lay down upon our mattresses of dry 
leaves. And Godsend loaded the rifles and a dozen 
Spanish muskets that were lying about, to be in readi¬ 
ness for another attack, and the women kept watch 
while we slept. But the Spaniards had had enough, 


THE BLOODY BLOCK-HOUSE. 


67 


and we saw no more of them. Only the next morn¬ 
ing, when Jonas went down the ladder to reconnoiter, 
he found thirty dead and dying, and a few wounded, 
who begged hard for a drink of water, for that their 
comrades had deserted them. We got them up into 
the block-house and had their wounds dressed, and 
after a time they were cured and left us.” 

“And were you never attacked again?” said I. “I 
wonder at your courage in remaining here when 
aware of the dangers you were exposed to.” 

“We reckoned we had more right than ever to the 
land after all the blood it had cost us, and then the 
news of the fight had 'got carried into the settle- 
ments, and up as far as Salt River; and some of our 
friends and kinsfolk came down to join us, and there 
were soon enough of us not to care for twice as many 
Spaniards as we had beaten off before.” 

While speaking, the old squatter descended the 
ladder and led us out of the forest and over the ridge 
of a low hill, on the side of which stood a dozen 
log-houses, casting their black shadows on the moon¬ 
lit slope. We met with a rough but kind welcome— 
few words but plenty of good cheer—and we made 
acquaintance with the heroes and heroines of the 
block-house siege, and with their sons and daughters, 


68 


ADVENTURES IN LOUISIANA. 


all buxom, strapping damsels, and fine manly lads. 
I have often enjoyed a softer bed, but never a sounder 
sleep than that night. 

The next day our horses were brought round from 
the swamp, and we took our departure; but as hard¬ 
ships, however painful to endure, are pleasant to look 
back upon, so have I often thought with pleasure of 
our adventures in the prairies, and recurred with 
the strongest interest to old Nathan’s thrilling 
narrative of the Bloody Block-house. 


ftöbeiifnipes ix) Xex^5. 


CHAPTEE I. 

A SCAMPER IN THE PRAIRIE. 

k, WnAT took you to Texas?” is a question that has 
so frequently been asked me by friends in the States, 
that a reply to it is perhaps the most appropriate 
commencement I can make to a sketch of my adven¬ 
tures in that country. Many of my fellow-citizens 
have expressed their surprise—more flattering to me 
and my family than to Texas—that a son of Judge 
Morse of Maryland, instead of pitching his tent in 
his native State, should have deserted it for a land 
which certainly, at the time I first went to it, was in 
any thing but good repute, and of whose population ^ 
the Anglo-Saxon portion mainly consisted of out¬ 
laws and bad characters, expelled or fugitive from 



70 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


the Union. The facts of the case were these:—I 
went to Texas, endorsed, as I may say, by a com¬ 
pany of our enlightened New York Yankees, whose 
speculative attention was just then particularly di¬ 
rected to that country. In other words, I had the 
good or ill luck, as you may choose to think it, to be 
the possessor of a Texas-Land-Scrip—that is to say, 
a certificate issued by the Galveston Bay and Texas 
Land Company, declaring and making known to all 
whom it might concern, that Mr. Edwin Morse had 
paid into the hands of the cashier of said company 
the sum of one thousand dollars, in consideration of 
which, he, the said Edward Morse, was duly entitled 
and authorized to select, within the district and ter¬ 
ritory of the aforesaid Galveston Bay and Texas 
Land Company, a tract of land of the extent of ten 
thousand acres, neither more nor less, to take pos¬ 
session of and settle upon it, and, in a word, to 
exercise over it all the rights of a proprietor; under 
the sole condition that in the selection of his ten 
thousand acres he should not infringe on the prop¬ 
erty or rights of the holders of previously given 
certificates. 

Ten thousand acres of the finest land in the world, 
and under a heaven compared to which, our 


A SCAMPER IN THE PRAIRIE. 


71 


Maryland sky, bright as it is, appears dull and foggy! 

It was certainly a tempting bait; too tempting by 
far not to be caught at by many in those times ' 
speculation ; and accordingly, our free and enlight¬ 
ened citizens bought and sold their millions of Texan 
acres just as readily as they did their thousands of 
towns and villages in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and 
Michigan, and tens of thousands of shares in banks 
and railways. It was a speculative fever, which has ^ 
since, we may hope, been in some degree cured. At 
any rate, the remedies applied have been tolerably 
severe. 

I had not escaped the contagion, and having got 
the land on paper, I thought I should like to see it in 
dirty acres. My intention was to select my plot of 
ground and take possession of it, and then, if I did 
not like the country, to turn it into dollars again. If, 
upon the other hand, the country pleased me, I would 
return to Maryland, get together what was need¬ 
ful for the undertaking, and set up my roof-tree in 
Texas for good and all. Accordingly, in company 
with a friend who had a similar venture, I embarked 
at Baltimore on board the Catcher schooner, and, 
after a three weeks’ voyage, arrived in Galveston 
Bay. 


72 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


The grassy shores of this bay, into which the rivei 
Brazos empties itself, rise so little above the surface 
of the water, which they strongly resemble in color, 
that it would be difficult to discover them, were it 
not for three stunted trees growing on the western 
extremity of a long lizard-shaped island that stretches 
nearly sixty miles across the bay, and conceals the 
mouth of the river. These trees are the only land¬ 
mark for the mariner; and, with their exception, 
not a single object — not a hill, a house, nor so much 
as ä bush relieves the level sameness of the island 
and adjacent continent. 

After we had, with some difficulty, got on the inner 
side of the island, a pilot came on board and took 
charge of the vessel. The first thing he did was to 
run us on a sand-bank, off of which we got with no 
small labor, and by the united exertions of sailors 
and passengers, and at length entered the river. In 
our impatience to land, I and my friend left the 
schooner in a cockleshell of a boat, which upset in 
the surge, and we found ourselves floundering in 
the water. Luckily it was not very deep, and we 
escaped with a thorough drenching. 

When we had scrambled on shore, we gazed about 
ns for some time before we could persuade ourselves 


A SCAMPER IN THE PRAIRIE. 


73 


that we were actually upon land, so unusual was its 
aspect. It was, without exception, the strangest 
coast that we had ever seen, and there was scarcely 
a possibility of distinguishing the boundary between 
earth and water. The green grass grew down to the. 
edge of the green sea, and there was only the streak 
of white foam left by the latter upon the former to 
serve as a line of demarkation. Before us was a per¬ 
fectly level plain, a hundred or more miles in extent, 
covered with long, fine grass, rolling in waves before 
each puff of the sea-breeze, with neither tree, nor 
house, nor hifi, to vary the unbroken monotony of the 
surface. Ten or twelve miles toward the north and 
north-west, we distinguished some dark masses, which 
we .afterward discovered to be a group of trees ; but 
to our eyes they looked exactly like islands in a 
green sea, and we subsequently learned that such 
groups, innumerable in Texan prairies, are called 
islands by the people of the country. A more 
appropriate name, or one better describing their 
appearance, could not be given to them. 

Proceeding along the shore, we came to a block¬ 
house situated behind a small tongue of land project- 
* 

ing into the river, and decorated with the flag of the 

Mexican republic, waving in all its glory from the 

4 


74 


ADVENTURES TN TEXAS. 


roof. This building* the only one of which at that 
time, Galveston harbor could boast, served, as may 
be supposed, for a great variety of uses. It was the 
custom-house and the barracks for the garrison, (con¬ 
sisting of a company of Mexican infantry,) the 
residence of the controller of customs, and of the 
civil and military Intendant, the head-quarters of the 
officer commanding, and it served, moreover, as hotel, 
and wine and spirit store. Alongside the board, on 
which was depicted a sort of hieroglyphic, intended 
for the Mexican eagle, hung a rum-bottle, doing duty 
as a sign, and the republican banner threw its pro¬ 
tecting shadow over an announcement of—“Brandy, 
Whisky, and Accommodation for Man and Beas f .” 

Approaching the house, we saw the whole garrison 
assembled before the door. It consisted of a dozen 
' -dwarfish, spindle-shanked Mexican soldiers, none of 
them so big or half so strong as American boys of 
fifteen, and whom I would have backed a single 
Kentucky woodsman armed with a riding-whip to 
have driven to the four winds of heaven. These 
heroes all sported tremendous beards, whiskers, and 
mustaches, and had a habit of knitting their brows, * 
in the‘'endeavor, as we supposed, to look fierce and 
formidable. They were crowding round a table of 


A SCAMPER IN THE PRAIRIE. 


75 


rough planks, playing a game at cards, in which they 
were so engrossed, that they took no notice of our 
approach. Their officer, however, came out of the 
house to meet us with a friendly greeting. 

Captain Cotton, formerly editor of the Mexican 
Gazette , now civil and military superintendent of 
Galveston, customs-director, harbor-master, and tav¬ 
ern-keeper, and a Yankee to boot, seemed to trouble 
his head — to the credit of his good sense be it said — 
much less about his various dignities and titles (of 
which he had more than there were soldiers in his 
garrison) than about his capital French and Spanish 
wines, which, it is to be presumed, he laid in duty 
free. As to the soldiers, in all my life I never saw / 
such wretched-looking, shriveled dwarfs. I could 
not help fancying them grotesque elves or goblins, 
transported thither by som^old sorcerer’s power. 
We were never tired of staring at them and at the 
country, which also had something, supernatural in 
its aspect. It was like an everlasting billiard-table, 
without an end. It is a strange feeling, I can tell 
you, after being three weeks at sea, to run ^into a 
harbor which is no harbor, and to land upon a shore 
which is only half land, and which seems *each 
moment about to roll away in waves from under 


76 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


your feet. Our fellow-paSsengers, several of whom 
had now landed and joined us, gazed about them as 
puzzled and bewildered as we were, and hastened into 
the block-house with a speed which showed them to 
be assailed by the same uneasy feeling as ourselves. 
Looking out from the block-house, the interminable 
expanse of meadow and ocean, was blended into 
one vast plain, out of which the building rose like a 
diminutive island. It was with a sensation of great 
relief that we once more found ourselves on board 
our schooner. 

It took us three full days to ascend the river 
Brazos to the town of Brazoria, a distance of only 
thirty miles. On the first day nothing but the ever¬ 
lasting meadow was to be seen on either hand; but, 
on the second, we got nearer to islands : the pasture 
became a park, dotted with magnificent groups of 
trees. Not a sign of man was visible in this stu¬ 
pendous park—a boundless ocean of grass and foli¬ 
age. An ocean of this kind has a far more powerful 
effect upon those who for the first time wander 
through its solitudes, than has an ocean of water. 
We saw this exemplified in our traveling compan¬ 
ions, land-seekers like ourselves, with the sole dif¬ 
ference that, not being overburthened with the 


A SCAMPER IN THE PRAIRIE. 


77 


circulating medium, they had come without scrip. 
They were by no means of the class of sentimental 
travelers—nothing of the Yorick about them—but, 
on the contrary, were wild, rough fellows, who had 
played all sorts of mad pranks during the three 
weeks’ voyage. Here, however, they all, without ex¬ 
ception, became quiet — nay, sedate and serious. 
The very wildest of them, and some of them really 
were as rude and desperate a lot as ever roamed 
the world round in search of adventures—grew 
taciturn, and gave utterance to none of the coarse 
oaths and horrible blasphemies with which, when at 
sea, they had frequently disgusted us. They behaved 
like people who had just entered a church. All their 
countenances wore an expression of gravity and awe. 
And, in a certain sense, we surely might be said to 
have entered one of God’s temples; for what more 
noble temple could be erected in his honor than the 
magnificent scene around us! All was so still, and 
solemn, and majestic! Forest and meadow, trees and 
grass, all so pure and fresh, as if just from the hand 
of the mighty and eternal Artificer. Ho trace of ; 
man’s sinful hand, but all the beautiful, immaculate 
work of God! 

Fifteen miles above the mouth of the river Brazos, 


78 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


we entered the first forest. Sycamores, and, further 
on, pecan-trees, waved on either hand over the water. 
We saw a herd of deer, and a large flock of wild 
turkeys, both of which, already tolerably shy, took 
to flight on our appearance. The quality of the land 
was, as will be easily imagined, the point to which 
our attention was chiefly directed. On the coast we 
had found it light and sandy, with a very thin crust 
of good soil, but without any signs of swamp or 
slime; further from the sea, the crust or fertile sur¬ 
face increased in thickness from one to four—eight — 
twelve—at last fifteen — and, at Brazoria, twenty feet 
over the bed of sand and loam. As yet we had seen 
nothing like a hillock or a stone; and, indeed, it 
would have been very difficult, in a district a hun¬ 
dred miles broad and long, to have found a stone as 
big as a pigeon’s egg. On the other hand, there was 
wood in plenty for houses and fences ; so we had no 
cause for anxiety in that respect. Our hopes grew 
brighter each mile that we advanced. 

On our arrival at Brazoria, however, those san¬ 
guine hopes received a cruel blow. At the time I 
speak of—namely, in the year 1832 — Brazoria was 
an important town —for Texas, that is to say—con¬ 
sisting of above thirty houses, three of which were 


A SCAMPER IN THE PRAIRIE. 


79 


of brick, three of boards, and the remainder of logs, 
all thoroughly American, with the streets arranged 
in the American manner, in straight lines and at 
right angles to each other. The only objection to the 
place was, that in the spring, at the season of the 
floods, it was all under water; but the worthy Brazo- 
rians overlooked this little inconvenience, in consid¬ 
eration of the inexhaustible fertility of the soil. It 
was early in March when we arrived, but we found 
already an abundance of new potatoes, beans, peas, 
and the most delicious artichokes that ever rejoiced 
an epicure. But we also found something else, much 
less agreeable to my friend and myself, and that 
was, that our scrip was not quite so good as it 
might be, and—like much other scrips, past, present, 
and to come—bore a stronger resemblance to waste 
paper than to bank-notes. Our unpleasant doubts 
became a fatal certainty on the arrival of William 
Austin, son of Colonel Austin. He gave us to read 
the report of the proceedings of the Mexican Con¬ 
gress, after perusing which, we were within an ace 
of lighting our cigars with our certificates. 

It appeared that, in the year 1824, the Mexican 
Congress had passed an act, having for its object the 
encouragement of emigration from the United States 


4 


80 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


to Texas. In consequence of this act, an agreement 
was entered into with contractors, or empresarios, 
as they called them in Mexico, who bound themselves 
to bring a certain number of settlers into Texas 
within a given time, at their own charges, and with¬ 
out any expense to the Mexican government. On 
the other hand, the Mexican government had en¬ 
gaged to furnish land to these emigrants at the rate 
of five square leagues to every hundred families , 
but to this agreement the special condition was at¬ 
tached, that all settlers should be, or become, Roman 
Catholics. Failing this, and until they gave sat¬ 
isfactory proofs of their belonging to the Church 
of Rome, the validity of their claims to the land 
was not recognized, and they were liable any day 
to be turned out of the country at the point of the 
bayonet. 

Of all this, the New York “ Galveston-Bay-and- 
Texas-Land-Company,” like smart Yankees as they 
were, had wisely said not a word to us, but had sold 
us the land with the assurance that it had been placed 
at their disposal by the Mexican government, on the 
sole condition of their importing into it, within the 
year, a certain number öf settlers. Such was the 
tenor of their verbal and written declarations, such 


A SCAMPER IN THE PRAIRIE. 


81 


the tenor of the scrip ; trusting to which, we had set 
out on our wild-goose chase. Clear it now was that 
we had been duped and taken in; equally evident 
that the RomanjCatholic Mexican government would 
have nothing to say to us heretics. 

This information threw us into no small perplexity. 
Our Yankee friends at Brazoria, however, laughed at 
our dilemma, and told us we were only in the same 
plight as hundreds of our countrymen, who had 
come to Texas in total ignorance of this condition, 
but who had not the less taken possession of their 
land and settled there; that they themselves were 
among the number, and that although it was just as 
likely they would turn negroes as Roman Catholics, " 
they had no idea of being turned out of their houses 
and plantations; that, at any rate, if the Mexicans 
tried it, they had their rifles with them, and should 
be apt, they reckoned, to burn powder before they 
allowed themselves to be kicked off such an almighty 
fine piece of soil. So, after a while, we began to 
think, that as we had paid our money, and come so 
far, we might do as others had done before us — 
occupy our land, and wait the course of events. The 
next day we each bought a horse, or mustang , as 

thev call them there, which animals were selling at 
4 * 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


82 

Brazoria, for next to nothing, and rode out into the 
prairie to look for a convenient spot to settle. 

These mustangs are small horses, rarely above 
fourteen hands high, and are descended from the 
Spanish breed introduced by the original conquerors 
of the country. During the three centuries that 
have elapsed since the conquest of Mexico, they have 
increased and multiplied to an extraordinary extent, 
and are to be found in vast droves , in the Texan 
prairies, although they now begin to be somewhat 
scarcer. They are taken with the lasso , concern¬ 
ing which instrument or weapon, I will here say a 
word or two, notwithstanding that it has been often 
described. 

The lasso is usually from twenty to thirty feet long, 
very flexible, and composed of strips of twisted ox¬ 
hide. One. end is fastened to the saddle, and the 
other, which forms a running noose, held in the hand 
of the hunter who, thus equipped, rides out into the 
prairie. When he discovers a troop of wild horses 
he maneuvers to get windward of them, and then to 
approach as near to them as possible. If he be an 
experienced hand, the horses seldom or never escape 
him; and as t oon as he finds himself within twenty 
or thirty feet of them, he throws the noose with 


A SCAMP EE IN THE PBAIKIE. 


83 


unerring aim over the neck of the one he Has 

selected for his prey. This done, he turns his own 
# 

horse sharp round, gives him the spur, and gallops 
away, dragging his unfortunate captive after him, 
breathless, and with his windpipe so compressed by 
the noose, thät he is unable to make the- smallest 
resistance, but, after a few yards, falls headlong to 
the ground, and lies motionless and almost lifeless, 
sometimes indeed badly hurt and disabled. From 
that day forward, the horse which has been thus 
caught, never forgets the lasso; the mere sight of it 
makes him tremble in every limb; and however 
wild he may be, it is sufficient to 6how it to him, or 
to lay it on his neck, to render him as tame and 
docile as a lamb. 

The horse taken, next comes the breaking in, 
which is effected in a no less brutal manner than his 
capture. The eyes of the unfortunate animal are 
covered with a bandage, and a tremendous bit, a 
pound weight or more, clapped into his mouth ; the 
horse-breaker puts on a pair of spurs six inches long, 
with rowels like pen-knives, and jumping on his 
back, urges him to his utmost speed. If the horse 
tries to rear, or turns restive, one pull, and not a 
very hard one either, at the instrument of torture 


S ir ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 

they call a bit, is sufficient to tear his mouth U 
shreds and cause the blood to flow in streams. I 
have myself seen horses’ teeth broken with these bar¬ 
barous bits. The poor beast whinnies and groans 
with pain and terror ; but there is no help for him ; 
the spurs are at his flanks, and on he goes full, gallop, 
till he is ready to sink from fatigue and exhaustion. 
He then has a quarter of an hour’s rest allowed him; 
but scarcely has he recovered breath, which has been 
ridden and spurred out of his body 7 , when he is again 
mounted, and has to go through the same violent 
process as before. If he breaks down during thk 
rude trial, he is either knocked on the head or driven 
away as useless; but if he holds out, he is marked 
with a hot iron, and left to graze on the prairie. 
Henceforward, there is no particular difficulty in 
catching him when wanted; his wildness is com¬ 
pletely punished out of him, but for it is substituted 
the most confirmed vice and malice that can possibly 
be conceived. These mustangs are unquestionably 
the most deceitful and spiteful of all the equine race. 
They seem perpetually looking out for an opportunity 
of playing their master a trick; and. very soon after 
I got possession of mine, I was near paying for him 
in a way that I had certainly not calculated upon. 


A SCAMPER IN THE PRAIRIE. 


85 


ÜVe were going to Bolivar and had to cross the 
river Brazos. I was the last but one to get into the 
boat, and was leading my horse carelessly by the 
bridle. Just as I was about to step in, a sudden 
jerk, and a cry of “Mind your beast!” made me 
jump on one side ; and lucky was it that I did so. 
My mustang had suddenly sprung, and thrown him¬ 
self forward upon me with such force and fury, that, 
as I got out of his way, his fore feet went completely 
through the bottom of the boat. I never in my life 
saw an animal in such a paroxysm of rage. He 
curled his lips till his whole range of teeth was visi¬ 
ble, his eyes literally shot fire, the foam flew from his 
mouth, and he gave a wild screaming neigh that had 
something quite diabolical in its sound. While I 
stood perfectly thunderstruck at this outbreak, one 
of the party took a lasso and very quietly laid it 
over the animal’s neck. The effect was magical. 
With closed mouth, drooping ears, and head low, 
there stood the mustang, meek and docile as any old 
jackass. The change was so sudden and comical, 
that we all burst out laughing ; although, when I 
came to reflect on the danger I had run, it required 
all my love of horses to prevent me from shooting 
the brute on the spot. 


86 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


Mounted on this ticklish steed, and in company with 
my friend, I made various excursions to Bolivar, Mar¬ 
ion, Columbia, Anahuac—incipient cities, consisting 
of from five to twenty houses. We also visited 
numerous plantations and clearings, to the owners 
of some of which we were known or had letters of 
introduction ; but either with or without such recom¬ 
mendations, we always found a hearty welcome and 
hospitable reception, and it was rare that we were 
allowed to pay for our entertainment. 

We arrived one day at a clearing, which lay a few 
miles off the way from Harrisburg to San Felipe de 
Austin, and belonged to a Mr. Heal. He had been 
three years in the country, occupying himself with 
the breeding of cattle, which is unquestionably the 
most agreeable, as well as profitable occupation 
that can be followed in Texas. He had between 
seven and eight hundred head of cattle, and from 
fifty to sixty horses, all mustangs. His plantation, 
like nearly all the plantations in Texas at that time, 
was as yet in a very rough state; and his house, 
although roomy and comfortable enough on the in¬ 
side, was built of unhewn tree-trunks, in a true 
backwoodsman style. It was situated on the border 
of one of the islands, or group of trees, between twc 


A SCAMPER IN THE PRAIRIE. 


87 


gigantic sycamores, which sheltered it from the sun 
and wind. In front and as far as could be seen, lay 
the prairie, with its waving grass and many-colored 
flowers; behind the dwelling arose the cluster of 
forest trees in all their primeval majesty, laced and 
bound together by an infinity of wild vines, which 
shot their tendrils and clinging branches hundreds of 
feet upward to the very top of the trees, embracing 
and covering the whole island with a green net-work, 
and converting it into an immense bower of vine 
leaves, which would have been no unsuitable abode 
for Bacchus and his train. 

These islands are one of the most enchanting 
features of Texan scenery. Of infinite variety and 
beauty of form, and unrivaled in the growth and 
magnitude of the trees composing them, they are of 
all shapes — circular, parallelograms, hexagons, octa¬ 
gons— some again twisting and winding like dark 
green snakes over the brighter surface of the prairie. 
In no park or artificially laid-out grounds could any 
thing be found equaling these natural shrubberies in 
beauty and symmetry. In the morning and evening 
especially, when surrounded by a sort of vail of 
light-grayish mist, and with horizontal beams of the 
rising or setting sun gleaming through them, they 


88 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


offer pictures which it is impossible to weary of 
admiring. 

Mr. Neal was a jovial Kentuckian, and he received 
us with the greatest hospitality, and only asking in 
return all the news we could give him from the 
States. It is difficult to imagine, without having 
witnessed it, the feverish eagerness and curiosity 
with which all intelligence from their native country 
is sought after and listened to by these dwellers in 
the desert. Men, women and children crowded 
round us ; and though we had arrived in the after¬ 
noon, it was near sunrise before we could escape 
from the inquiries by which we were overwhelmed, 
and retire to the beds that had been prepared for us. 

I had not slept very long when I was roused by 
our worthy host. He was going out to catch twenty 
or thirty oxen, wanted for the market at New 
Orleans. As the kind of chase which takes place 
after these animals is very interesting, and rarely 
dangerous, we willingly accepted the invitation to 
accompany him; and having dressed and break¬ 
fasted in all haste, got upon our mustangs and rode 
off into the prairie. 

The party was half a dozen strong, consisting of 
Mr. Neal, my friend and myself, and three negroes. 


A SCAMPER IN THE PRAIRIE. 89 

What we had to do was to drive the cattle, which 
were grazing on the prairie in herds of from thirty to 
fifty head, to the house, and then those selected for 
the market were to be taken with the lasso and sent 
off to Brazoria. 

After riding four or five miles, we came in sight of 
a drove; splendid animals, standing very high, and 
of most symmetrical form. The horns of these 
cattle are of unusual length, and in the distance, have 
more the appearance of stags’ antleis than of bulls’ 
horns. We approached the herd to within a quarter 
of a mile. They remained quite quiet. We rode 
round them, and in like manner got in rear of a second 
and third drove, and then spread out, so as to form 
a, half circle and drive the cattle toward the house. 

Hitherto my mustang had behaved exceedingly 
well, cantering freely along, and not attempting to 
play any tricks. I had scarcely, however, left the 
remainder of the party a couple of hundred yards, 
when the devil by which he was possessed began to 
wake up. The mustangs belonging to the plantation 
were grazing some three-quarters of a mile off; and 
no sooner did my beast catch sight of them, than he 
commenced practicing every species of jump and 
leap that it is possible for a horse to execute, and 


90 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


many of a nature so extraordinary, that I should have 
thought that no brute that ever went on four legs 
would have been able to accomplish them. He shied, 
reared, pranced, leaped forward, backward, and side¬ 
ways; in short, played such infernal pranks, that, 
although a practiced rider, I found it no easy matter 
to keep my seat. I heartily regretted that I had 
brought no lasso with me, which would have tamed 
him at once, and that, contrary to Mr. JSTeal’s advice, 
I had put on my American bit instead of a Mexican 
one. Without these auxiliaries, all my horsemanship 
was useless. The brute galloped like a mad creature 
some five hundred yards, caring nothing for my 
efforts to stop him; and then, finding himself close to 
the troop of mustangs, he stopped suddenly short, 
threw his head between his fore-legs, and his hind 
feet into the air, with such vicious violence, that I was 
pitched clean out of the saddle. Before I well knew 
where I was, I had the satisfaction of seeing him put 
his fore feet on the bridle, pull bit and bridoon out of 
his mouth, and then, with a neigh of exultation, 
spring into the midst of the herd of mustangs. 

I got up out of the long grass in a towering passion. 
One of the negroes who was nearest to me came gal¬ 
loping to my assistance, and begged me to let the 


A SCAMPEB IN THE PKAIBIE. 


91 


beast run for a while, and that when Anthony, the 
huntsman, came, he would soon catch him. I was 
too angry to listen to reason, and I ordered him to 
get off his horse, and let me mount. The black 
begged and prayed of me not to ride after the brute; 
and Mr. Neal, who was some distance off, shouted to 
me, as loud as he could, for Heaven’s sake, to stop; 
that I did not know what it was to chase a wild horse 
in a Texan prairie, and that I must not fancy myself 
in the meadows of Louisiana or Florida. I paid no 
attention to all this—I was in too great a rage at the 
trick the beast had played me; and, jumping on the 
negro’s horse, I galloped away like mad. 

My rebellious steed was grazing quietly with his 
companions, and he allowed me to come within a 
couple of hundred paces of him; but just as I had 

prepared the lasso, which was fastened to the negro’s 

✓ 

saddle-bow, he gave a start, and galloped off some 
distance further, I after him. Again he made a 
pause, and munched a mouthful of grass — then off 
again for another half mile. This time I had great 
hopes of catching him, for he let me come within a 
hundred yards ; but, just as I was creeping up to him, 
away he went with one of his shrill neighs. When I 
galloped fast, he went faster; when I rode slowly, he 


92 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


slackened his pace. At least ten times did he let 
me approach him within a couple of hundred yards, 
without for that being a bit nearer getting hold of 
him. It was certainly high time to desist from such 
a mad chase, but I never dreamed of doing so; and 
indeed the longer it lasted, the more obstinate I got. 
I rode on after the beast, who let me come nearer and 
nearer, and then darted off again with his loud, laugh¬ 
ing neigh. It was this infernal neigh that made me 
so savage — there was something spiteful and tri¬ 
umphant in it, as though the animal knew he was 
making a fool of me, and exulted in so doing. At 
last, however, I got so sick of my horse-hunt that I 
determined to make a last trial, and, if that failed, to 
turn back. The runaway had stopped near one of 
the islands of trees, and was grazing quite close to its 
edge. I thought that, if I were to creep round to the 
other side of the island, and then steal across it, 
through the trees, I should be able to throw the lasso 
over his head, or, at any rate, to drive him back to 
the house. This plan I put in execution: rode round 
v the island, then through it, lasso in hand, and as 
softly as if I had been riding over eggs. To my con¬ 
sternation, however, on arriving at the edge of the 
trees, and at the exact spot where, only a few 


A SCAMPER IN THE PRAIRIE. 


93 


minutes before, I had seen the mustang grazing, no 
signs of him were to be perceived. I made the 
circuit of the island, but in vain—the animal had 
disappeared. With a hearty curse, I put spurs to my 
horse, and started off to ride back to the plantation. 

Neither the plantation, the cattle, nor my compan¬ 
ions, were visible, it is true; but this gave me no 
uneasiness. I felt sure that I knew the direction in 
which I had come, and that the island I had just left 
was one which was visible from the house, while 
all around me were such numerous tracks of horses, 
that the possibility of my having lost my way never 
occurred to me, and I rode on quite unconcernedly. 

After riding for about an hour, I began to find the 
time rather long. I looked at my watch : it was past 
one o’clock. We had started at nine, and, allowing 
an hour and a half to have been spent in finding the 
cattle, I had passed nearly three hours in my wild 
and unsuccessful hunt. I began to think I must have 
got further from the plantation than I had as yet 
supposed. 

It was toward the end of March, the day clear and 
warm, just like a May-day in the Southern States. 
The sun now shone brightly o*ut, but the early part of 
die morning had been somewhat foggy ; and as I had 


94 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


only arrived at tlie plantation the day before, and 
had passed the whole afternoon and evening indoors, 
I had had no opportunity of getting acquainted with 
the hearings of the house. This reflection made me 
rather uneasy, particularly when I remembered the 
entreaties of the negro, and the loud exhortations Mr. 
Neal addressed to me as I rode away. I said to 
myself, however, that I could not be more than ten or 
fifteen miles from the plantation, that I should soon 
come in sight of the herds of cattle, and that then 
there would be no difficulty in finding my way. But 
when I had ridden another hour without seeing the 
smallest sign either of man or beast, I got seriously 
uneasy. In my impatience, I abused poor Neal for 
not sending somebody to find me. His huntsman, I 
had heard, was gone to Anahuac, and would not be 
back for two or three days ; but he might have sent a 
couple of his lazy negroes : or, if he had only fired a 
shot or two as a signal. I stopped and listened, in 
hopes of hearing the crack of a rifle. But the deep¬ 
est stillness reigned around, scarcely the chirp of a 
bird was heard — all nature seemed to be taking the 
siesta. As far as the eye could reach was a waving 
sea of grass, here and there an island of trees, but 
not a trace of a human being. At last I thought I 


A SCAMPER IN THE PRAIRIE. 


95 


had made a discovery. The nearest clump of trees 
was undoubtedly the same which I had admired and 
pointed out to my companions soon after we left the 
house. It bore a fantastical resemblance to a snake 
coiled up and about to dart upon its prey. About six 
or seven miles from the plantation, we had passed it 
on our right hand, and if I now kept, upon my left, I 
could not fail to be going in a proper direction. So 
said, so done. I trotted on most perseveringly toward 
the point of the horizon where I felt certain the house 
must lie. One hour passed, then a second, then a 
third : every now and then I stopped and listened, 
but nothing was audible — not a shot nor a shout. 
But although I heard nothing, I saw something which 
gave me no great pleasure. In the direction in which 
we had ridden out, the grass was very abundant and 
the flowers scarce ; whereas, the part of the prairie in 
which I now found myself, presented the appearance 
of a perfect flower-garden, with scarcely a square foot 
of green to be seen. The most variegated carpet of 
flowers I ever beheld lay unrolled before me; red, yel¬ 
low, violet, blue — every color, every tint was there ; 
millions of magnificent prairie roses, tuberoses, asters, 
dahlias, and fifty other kinds of flowers. The finest 
artificial garden in the world sinks into insignificance 


96 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


when compared with this parterre of nature’s own 
planting. My horse could hardly make his way 
through the wilderness of flowers, and I, for a time, 
remained lost in admiration of this scene of extraor¬ 
dinary beauty. The prairie, in the distance, looked as 
if clothed with rainbows, that waved to and fro over 
its surface. 

But the difficulties and anxieties of my situation 
soon banished all other thoughts, and I rode on with 
complete indifference through scenes which, under 
other circumstances, would have captivated my entire 
attention. All the stories I had heard of mishaps in 
these endless prairies, recurred in vivid coloring to 
my memory—not mere backwoodsmen’s legends, but 
facts well authenticated by persons of undoubted 
veracity, who had warned me, before I came to Texas, 
against venturing without guide or compass into these 
dangerous wilds. Even men who had been long in 
the country were often known to lose themselves, and 
to wander for days and weeks over these oceans of 
grass, where no hill or variety of surface offers a land¬ 
mark to the traveler. In summer and autumn, such a 
position would have one danger the less—that is to 
say, there would be no risk of dying of hunger; for 
at those seasons the most delicious fruits — grapes, 


A SCAMPER IN THE PRAIRIE 


97 


plums, peaches, and others — are to be found in abun¬ 
dance. But we were now in early spring, and al¬ 
though I saw numbers of peach and plum-trees, they 
were only in blossom. Of game, also, there was 
plenty, both fur and feather ; but I had no gun, and 
nothing appeared more probable than that I should be 
starved, although surrounded by food, and in one of 
the most fruitful countries in the world. This thought 
flashed suddenly across me, and for a moment my 
heart sunk within me as I first perceived the real 
danger of my position. 

After a time, however, other 'deas came to console 
me. I had been already four weeks in the country, 
and had ridden over a large slice of it in every di¬ 
rection, always through prairies, and I had never had 
any difficulty in finding my way. True, but then I 
had always had a compass, and been in company. It 
was this sort of over-confidence and feeling of security 
that had made me adventure so rashly, and in spite of 
all warning, in pursuit of the mustang. I had not 
waited to reflect, that a little more than four weeks’ 
experience was necessary to make one acquainted with 
the bearings of a district three times as big as New 
York State. Still I thought it impossible that I should 

have got so far out of the right track as not to be able 
5 


98 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


to find the house before nightfall, although that was 
now rapidly approaching. Indeed, the first shades 
of evening, strange as it may seem, gave this persua¬ 
sion increased strength. Home-bred and gently nur¬ 
tured as I was, my life, before coming to Texas, had 
been by no means one of adventure, and I was so 
used to sleep with a roof over my head, that when I 
saw it getting dusk I felt certain I could not be far 
from the house. The idea fixed itself so strongly in 
my mind, that I involuntarily spurred my mustang, 
and trotted on, peering out through the now fast¬ 
gathering gloom, in expectation of seeing a light. 
Several times I fancied I heard the barking of the 
dogs, the cattle lowing, or the merry laugh of the 
children. 

“ Hurra! there is the house at last — I can see the 
lights in the parlor windows.” 

I urged my horse on, but when I came near the 
house, it proved to be an island of trees. What I had 
taken for candles were fire-flies, that now issued in 
swarms from out of the darkness of the islands, and 
spread themselves over the prairie, darting about in 
every direction, their small blue flames literally light¬ 
ing up the plain, and making it aj)pear as if I were 
surrounded by a sea of Bengal fire. Nothing could 


A SCA&IPEB IN THE PKALRIE. 


99 


be more bewildering than such a ride as mine, on a 
warm March night, through the interminable, never- 
varying prairie; overhead the deep blue firmament, 
with its host of bright stars; at my feet, and all 
around, an ocean of magical light, myriads of fire-flies 
floating upon the soft, still air. It was like a scene of 
enchantment. I could distinguish every blade of 
grass, every flower, every leaf on the trees—but all 
in a strange, unnatural sort of light, and in altered 
colors. Tuberoses and asters, prairie roses and gera¬ 
niums, dahlias and vine branches, began to wave and 
move, to range themselves in ranks and rows. The 
whole vegetable world around me appeared to dance, 
as the swarms of living lights passed over it. 

Suddenly, from out of the sea of fire, sounded a 
loud and long-drawn note. I stopped, listened, and 
gazed around me. It was not repeated, and I rode on. 
Again the same sound, but this time the cadence was 
sad and plaintive. Again I made a halt, and listened. 
It was repeated a third time in a yet more melancholy 
tone, and I recognized it as the cry of a whippowil. 
Presently it was answered from a neighboring island 
by a katydid. My heart leaped for joy at hearing the 
note of this bird, the native minstrel of my own dear 
Maryland. In an instant the house where I was born 


100 ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 

stood before the eyesight of my imagination. There 
were the negro huts, the garden, the plantation, every 
thing exactly as I had left it. So powerful was the 
illusion, that I gave my horse the spur, persuaded 
that my father’s house lay before me. The island 
too, I took for the grove that surrounded our house. 
On reaching its border, I literally dismounted, and 
shouted out for Charon Tommy. There was a stream 
running through our plantation, which, for nine 
months out of the twelve, was passable only by means 
of a ferry, and the old negro who officiated as ferry¬ 
man was indebted to me for the above classical cog¬ 
nomen. I believe I called twice, nay, three times — 
but no Charon Tommy answered; and I awoke 
as from a pleasant dream, somewhat ashamed of 
the lengths to which my excited imagination had 
hurried me. 

I now felt so weary and exhausted, so hungry and 
thirsty, and, withal, my mind was so anxious and 
harassed by my dangerous position, and by the uncer¬ 
tainty how I should get out of it, that I was really 
incapable of going any further. I felt quite bewil¬ 
dered, and stood for some time gazing before me, and 
scarcely even troubling myself to think. At length 
I mechanically drew my clasp-knife from my pocket, 


A SCAMPER IN THE PRAIRIE. lOl 

and set to work to dig a hole m the rich black soil of 
the prairie. Into this hole I put the knotted end of 
my lasso, and then, filling in the earth and stamping 
it down with my foot, as I had seen others do since I 
had been in Texas, I passed the noose over my mus¬ 
tang’s neck, and left him to graze, while I myself lay 
down outside the circle which the lasso would allow 
him to describe. An odd manner, it may seem, of 
tying up a horse; but the most convenient and 
natural one in a country where one may often find 
oneself fifty miles from any house, and five-and- 
twenty from a tree or bush. 

I found it no easy matter to sleep, for on all sides 
I heard the howling of wolves and jaguars—an un¬ 
pleasant serenade at any time, but most of all so in 
the prairie, unarmed and defenseless as I was. My 
nerves, too, were all in commotion; and I felt so 
feverish that I do not know what I should have done, 
had I not fortunately remembered that I had my 
cigar-case and a roll of tobacco, real Virginia dul- 
cissimus , in my pocket — invaluable treasures in my 
present situation, and which on this, as on many 
other occasions, did not fail to soothe and calm my 
agitated thoughts. 

Luckily, too, being a tolerably confirmed smoker, 


102 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


I carried a flint and steel with me; for otherwise, 
although surrounded by lights, I should have been 
sadly at a loss for fire. A couple of Havanas did 
me an infinite deal of good, and after a while I sank 
into the slumber of which I stood so much in need. 

The day was hardly well broken when I awoke. 
The refreshing sleep I had enjoyed had given me 
new energy and courage. I felt hungry enough, to 
be sure, but light and cheerful, and I hastened to dig 
up the end of the lasso, and to saddle my horse. I 
trusted that, although I had been condemned to 
wander over the prairie the whole of the preceding 
day, as a sort of punishment for my rashness, I 
should now have better luck, and, having expiated 
my fault, be at length allowed to find my way. 
With this hope I mounted my mustang and resumed 
my ride. 

I passed several beautiful islands of pecan, plum, 
and peach trees. It is a peculiarity worthy of re¬ 
mark, that these islands are nearly always of one 
sort of tree. It is very rare to meet with one where 
there are two sorts. Like the beasts of the forest, 
that herd together according to their kind, so does 
this wild vegetation preserve itself distinct in its 
different species One island will be entirely 


A SCAMPER IN THE PRAIRIE. 


103 


composed of live oaks, another of plum, and a third 
of pecan trees; the vine only, common to them all, 
embraces them all alike with its slender but tena¬ 
cious branches. 1 rode through several of these 
islands. They were perfectly free from bushes and 
brushwood, and carpeted with the most beautiful ver¬ 
dure possible to behold. I gazed at them in astonish¬ 
ment. It seemed incredible that nature, abandoned 
to herself, should preserve herself so beautifully clean 
and pure, and I involuntarily looked around me for 
some trace of the hand of man. But none was there. 
I saw nothing but herds of deer, that gazed wonder- 
ingly at me with their large clear eyes, and when I 
approached too near, galloped off in alarm. What 
would I not have given for an ounce of lead, a charge 
of powder, and a Kentucky rifle! Nevertheless, the 
mere sight of the beasts gladdened me, and raised 
my spirits. They were a sort of society. Something 
* of the same feeling seemed imparted to my horse, 
who bounded under me, and neighed merrily, as lie 
cantered along in the fresh spring morning. 

I was now skirting the side of an island of trees 
of greater extent than most of those I had hitherto 
seen. On reaching the end of it, I suddenly came in 
sight of an object whose extraordinary appearance 


104 


AD YEN TUBES IN 'TEXAS. 


far surpassed any of the natural wonders I had as 
yet beheld, either in Texas or the United States. 

At the distance of about two miles rose a colossal 
mass, in shape somewhat like a .monumental mound 
or tumulus, and apparently of the brightest silver. 
As I came in view of it, the sun was just covered by 
a passing cloud, from the lower edge of which the 
bright rays shot down obliquely upon this extraordi¬ 
nary phenomenon, lighting it up in the most brilliant 
manner. At one moment it looked like a huge silver 
cone; then took the appearance of an illuminated 
castle with pinnacles and towers, or the dome of some 
great cathedral; then of a gigantic elephant, covered 
with trappings, but always of solid silver, and inde¬ 
scribably magnificent. Had all the treasures of the 
earth been offered me to say what it was, I should 
have been unable to answer. Bewildered by my 
interminable wanderings in the prairie, and weak¬ 
ened by fatigue and hunger, a superstitious feeling 
for a moment came over me, and I half asked myself 
whether I had not reached some enchanted region, 
into which the evil spirit of the prairie was luring 
me to destruction by appearances of supernatural 
strangeness and beauty. 

Banishing these wild imaginings, I rode on in the 


A. SCAMPER IN THE PRAIRIE. 


105 


direction of this strange object; but it was only when 
I came within a very short distance that I was able 
to distinguish its nature. It was a live oak of most 
stupendous dimensions, the very patriarch of the 
prairie, grown gray in the lapse of ages. Its lower 
limbs had shot out in a horizontal, or rather a down¬ 
ward-slanting direction, and, reaching nearly to the 
ground, completed the base of a vast dome, several 
hundred feet in diameter, and full a hundred and 
thirty feet high. It had no appearance of a tree, for 
neither trunk nor branches were visible. It seemed 
a mountain of whitish green scales, fringed with long 
silvery moss, that hung like innumerable beards from 
every bough and twig. Nothing could better convey 
the idea of immense and incalculable age than the 
hoary beard and venerable appearance of this mon¬ 
arch of the woods. Spanish moss of a silvery gray 
draped the whole mass of wood and foliage, from the 
topmost bough down to the very ground ; short near 
the top of the tree, but gradually increasing in length 
as it descended, until it hung like a deep fringe from 
the lower branches. I separated the vegetable curtain 
with my hands, and entered this august temple with 
feelings of involuntary awe. The change from the 
bright sunlight to the comparative darkness beneath 


106 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


the leafy vault was so great, that I at first could dis¬ 
tinguish scarcely any thing. But when my eyes got 
accustomed to the gloom, nothing could be more 
beautiful than the effect of the sun’s rays, which, in 
forcing their way through the silvered leaves and 
mosses, took as many varieties of color as if they had 
passed through a window of painted glass, and gave 
the rich, subdued, and solemn light observable in old 
cathedrals. 

The trunk of the tree rose, free from all branches, 
full forty feet from the ground, rough and knotted, and 
of such enormous size that it might have been taken 
for a mass of rock covered with moss and lichens, 
while many of its boughs were nearly as thick as the 
trunk of any tree I had ever previously seen. 

I was so absorbed in the contemplation of the 
vegetable giant, that for a short space I almost forgot 
my troubles ; but as I rode away from the tree, they 
returned to me in full force, and my reflections were 
certainly of no very cheering or consolatory nature. 
I rode on, however, most perseveringly. The morning 
slipped away; it was noon, the sun stood high in the 
cloudless heavens. My hunger had now increased to 
an insupportable degree, and I felt as if something 
were gnawing within me—something like a crab 


A SCAMPER IN THE PRAIRIE. 


107 


tugging and riving at my stomach with his sharp 
claws. This feeling left me after a time, and was 
replaced by a sort of squeamishness — a faint sickly 
sensation. But if hunger was bad, thirst was worse. 
For some hours I suffered martyrdom. At length, 
like hunger it died away, and was succeeded by a 
feeling of sickness. The thirty hours’ fatigue and 
fasting I had endured were beginning to tell upon 
my naturally strong nerves: I felt my reasoning 
powers growing weaker, and my presence of mind, 
leaving me. A feeling of despondency came over 
me — a thousand wild fancies passed through my 
bewildered brain; while, at times, my head grew 
dizzy, and I reeled in my saddle like a drunken man. 

These weak fits, as I may call them, did not last 

0 

long; and each time that I recovered I spurred my 
mustang onward. But all was in vain — ride as far 
and as fast as I would, nothing was visible but a 
boundless sea of grass. 

At length I gave up hope, except in that God 
w T hose almighty hand was so manifest in the beaute¬ 
ous works around me. 1 let the bridle fall on my 
horse’s neck, clasped my hands together, and prayed 
as I had never before prayed, so heartily and earn¬ 
estly. When I had finished my prayer I felt greatly 


108 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


comforted. It seemed to me, that here in the 
wilderness, which man had not as yet polluted, I 
was nearer to God, and that my petition would 
assuredly be heard. I gazed cheerfully around, 
persuaded that I should yet escape the peril in which 
I stood. Just then, with what astonishment and 
inexpressible delight did I perceive not ten paces off^ 
the track of a horse! 

The effect of this discovery was like an electric 
shock, and drew a cry of joy from my lips that made 
my mustang start and prick his ears. Tears of de¬ 
light and gratitude to Heaven came into my eyes, 
and I could scarcely refrain from leaping off* my 
horse and kissing the welcome signs that gave me 
assurance of succor. With renewed strength I gal- 
loped onward ; and had I been a lover flying to 
rescue his mistress from an Indian war party, I could 
not have displayed more eagerness than I did in 
following up the trail of an unknown traveler. 

JSTever had I felt so thankful to Providence as at 
that moment. I uttered thanksgivings as I rode on, 
and contemplated the wonderful evidences of His 
skill and might that offered themselves to me on all 
sides. The aspect of every thing seemed changed, 
and I gazed with renewed admiration at the scenes 


A SCAMPER IN THE PRAIRIE. 


109 


through which I passed, and which I had previously 
been too preoccupied by the danger of my position to 
notice. The beautiful appearance of the islands struck 
me particularly, as they loomed in the distance, swim¬ 
ming in the bright golden beams of the noonday sun, 
dark spots of foliage in the midst of the waving 
grasses and many-hued flowers of the prairie. Before 
me lay the eternal flower-carpet with its innumerable 
asters, tuberoses, and mimosas—that delicate plant 
which, when approached, lifts its head, seems to look 
at you, and then droops and shrinks back in alarm. 
This I saw it do when I was two or three paces from 
it, and without my horse’s foot having touched it. 
Its long roots stretch out horizontally in the ground, 
and the approaching tread of a horse or man is com¬ 
municated through them to the plant and produces 
this singular phenomenon. When the danger is gone 
by, and the earth ceases to vibrate, the mimosa may 
be seen again to raise its head, quivering and trem¬ 
bling, as though not yet fully recovered from its fears. 

I had ridden on for three or four hours, following 
the track I had so fortunately discovered, when I 
came upon the trace of a second horseman, who ap¬ 
peared to have here joined the first traveler. It ran 
in a parallel direction to the one I was following. 


no 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


Had it been possible to increase my joy, this dis¬ 
covery would have done so. I could now entertain 
no doubt that I had hit upon the way out of this 
terrible prairie. It struck me as rather singular that 
two travelers should have met in this immense plain, 
which so few persons traversed; but that they had 
done so was certain, for there were the tracks of the 
two horses, as distinct as possible. The trail was 
fresh, too, and it was evidently not long since the 
horsemen had passed. It might still be possible to 
overtake them; and in this hope I rode on faster than 
ever, as fast, at least, as my mustang could carry me 
through the thick grass and flowers, which, in some 
places, were four or five feet high. 

During the next three hours I passed over ten or 
twelve miles of ground; but although the trail still 
lay plainly and broadly marked before me, I saw 
nothing of those who had left it. Still I persevered. 
I must overtake them sooner or later, provided I did 
not lose the track; and that I was most careful not to 
do, keeping my eyes fixed upon the ground as I rode 
along, and never deviating from the line which the 
travelers had followed. 

Thus the day passed away, and evening ap¬ 
proached. I still retained hope and courage; but 


A scamper in the prairie. 


Ill 


my physical strength was giving away. The gnawing 
sensation of hunger increased. I felt sick and faint; 
my limbs were heavy, my blood seemed chill in my 
veins, and all my senses grew duller under the influ¬ 
ence of exhaustion, thirst, and hunger. My eyesight 
was misty, my hearing less acute, the bridle felt cold 
and heavy in my fingers. 

Still 1 rode on. Sooner or later I must find an 
outlet; the prairie must have an end somewhere. 
True, that the whole of Southern Texas is one vast 
prairie ; but then there are rivers flowing through it, 
and if I could reach one of those, I should not be far 
from the abodes of men. By following the streams 
five or six miles up or down, I should be sure to find 
a plantation. 

While thus reasoning with, and encouraging my¬ 
self, I perceived the traces of a third horse, running 
parallel to the two which I had so long followed. 
This was indeed encouragement. It was certain that 
three travelers, arriving from different points of the 
prairie, and all going in the same direction, must 
have some object, must be repairing to some village 
or clearing; and where or what this was had now 
become indifferent to me, so long as I once more 
found myself in the habitations of men. I spurred 


112 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


on my mustang, who began to flag a little in his pace 
with the fatigue of our long ride. 

The sun set behind the high trees of an island 
that bounded my view westward, and there being 
little or no twilight in those southerly latitudes, the 
broad day was almost instantaneously replaced by 
the darkness of night. I could proceed no further 
without losing the track of the three horsemen ; and, 
as I happened to be close to an island, I fastened 
my mustang to a branch with the lasso, and threw 
myself on the grass under the trees. 

This night, however, I had no fancy for tobacco. 
Neither the cigars nor the dulcissimus tempted me. 
I tried to sleep, but in vain. Once or twice I began 
to doze, but was roused again by violent cramps and 
twitchings in all my limbs. I know of nothing more 
horrible than a night passed as I passed that one— 
faint and weak, enduring torture from hunger and 
thirst, striving after sleep, and never finding it. The 
sensation of hunger I experienced can only be com¬ 
pared to that of twenty pairs of pinchers tearing at 
the stomach. 

With the first gray light of morning I got up and 
prepared for departure. It was a long business, how¬ 
ever, to get my horse ready. The saddle, which at 


A SCAMPER IN THE PRAIRIE. 


113 


other times I could throw upon his back with two 
fingers, now seemed of lead, and it was as much as 
I could do to lift it. I had still more difficulty in 
drawing the girths tight; but at last I accomplished 
this, and, scrambling upon my beast, rode off. 
Luckily, my mustang’s spirit was pretty well taken 
out of him by the last two days’ work ; for if he had 
been fresh, the smallest spring on one side would 
have sufficed to throw me out of the saddle. As it 
was I sat upon him like an automaton, hanging for¬ 
ward over his neck, sometimes grasping the mane, 
and almost unable to use either rein or spur. 

I had ridden for some hours in this helpless plight^ 
when I came to a place where the three horsemen, 
whose track I was following, had apparently made a 
halt—perhaps had passed the previous night. The 
grass was trampled and beaten down in a circum¬ 
ference of some fifty or sixty feet, and there was a 
confusion in the horse-tracks as if they had ridden 
backward and forward. Fearful of losing the right 
trail, I was looking carefully about me to see in what 
direction they had recommenced their journey, when 
I noticed something white among the long grass. I 
got off my horse to pick it up. It was a piece of 
paper with my own name written upon it; and I 


114 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


recognized it as the back of a letter in which my 
tobacco had been wrapped, and I had thrown away 
at my halting-place of the preceding night. I looked 
around, and recognized the island and the very tree 
under which I had slept, or endeavored to sleep. 
The horrible truth instantly flashed across me—the 
horse tracks I had followed were my own: since the 
preceding morning, I had been riding in a circle. 

I stood for a few seconds thunderstruck by this 
discovery, and then sank upon the ground in utter 
despair. At that moment I should have been thank¬ 
ful to any one who would have knocked me on the 
head as I lay. All I wished was to die as speedily 
as possible. 

I remained I know not how long in a desponding, 
half insensible state upon the grass Several hours 
must have elapsed ; for when I got up the sun was 
low in the western heavens. My head was so weak 
and wandering, that I could not well explain to my¬ 
self how it was that I had been thus riding after my 
own shadow. Yet the thing was clear enough. 
Without landmarks and in the monotonous scenery 
of the prairie, I might have gone on forever following 
my horse’s track, and going back when I thought I 
was going forward, had it not been for the discovery 


A SCAMPER IN THE PRAIRIE. 


115 


of the tobacco-paper. I was, as I subsequently 
learned, in the Jacin to prairie, one of the most beau¬ 
tiful in Texas, full sixty miles long and broad, but in 
which the most experienced hunters never risked 
themselves without a compass. It was little wonder, 
then, that I, a mere boy of two-and-twenty, just 
escaped from college, should have gone astray in it. 

I now gave myself up for lost, and with the bridle 
twisted round my hand, and holding on as well as I 
could by the saddle and mane, I let my horse choose 
his own road. It would perhaps have been better 
had I done this sooner. The beast’s instinct would 
probably have led him to some plantation. When 
he found himself left to his own guidance, he threw 
up his head, snuffed the air three or four times, and 
then turning round, set off in a contrary direction to 
that he was before following, and at such a brisk pace 
that it was as much as I could do to keep upon him. 
Every jolt caused me so much pain, that I was more 
than once tempted to let myself fall off his back. 

At last night came, and thanks to the lasso, which 
kept my horse in awe, I managed to dismount and 
secure him. The whole night through I suffered 
from racking pains in head, limbs, and body. I felt 
as if I had been broken on the wheel; not an inch 



116 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


of my whole person but ached and smarted. My 
hands were grown thin and transparent, my cheeks 
fallen in, my eyes deep sunk in their sockets. 
When I touched my face I could feel the change 
that had taken place; and as I did so, I caught 
myself once or twice laughing like a child. I was 
becoming delirious. 

In the morning I could scarcely rise from the 
ground, so utterly weak and exhausted was I by my 
three days’ fasting, anxiety and fatigue. I have 
heard say that a man in good health can live nine 
days without food. It may be so in a room, or in a 
prison, but assuredly not in a Texan prairie. I am 
quite certain that the fifth day would have seen the 
last of me. 

I should never have been able to mount my mus¬ 
tang, but he had fortunately lain down, so I got into 
the saddle, and he rose up with me and started off 
of his own accord. As I rode along, the strangest 
visions passed before me. I saw the most beautiful 
cities that painter’s fancy ever conceived, with tow¬ 
ers, cupolas, and columns, whose summits lost them¬ 
selves in the clouds ; marble basins and fountains of 
bright, sparkling water, rivers flowing with liquid 
gold and gardens whose trees were bowed down with 


A SCAMPER IN THE PRAIRIE. 


117 


magnificent fruit—fruit which I had not strength to 
raise my hand to pluck. My limbs were heavy as 
lead, my tongue, lips and gums, dry and parched. I 
breathed with the greatest difficulty, and within me 
w r as a burning sensation, as if I had swallowed hot 
coals ; while my extremities, both hands and feet, did 
not appear to form a part of myself, but to be instru¬ 
ments of torture affixed to me, and I rg me the 

most intense suffering. 

I have a confused recollection of a sort of rushing 
sound, the nature of which I was unable to determine, 
so nearly had all consciousness left me ;• then of find¬ 
ing myself among trees, the leaves and boughs of 
which scratched and beat against my face as I passed 
through them; then of a sudden and rapid descent, 
with the broad, bright surface of a river below me. 
I clutched at a branch, but my fingers lacked 
strength to retain their grasp—there was a hissing, 
splashing noise, and the waters closed above my 
head. 

I soon rose, and endeavored to strike out with 
my arms and legs, but in vain ; I was too weak 
to swim, and again I went down. A thousand 
lights danced before my. eyes ; there was a noise 
in my brain as if a four-and-twenty pounder had 


% 


118 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


been fired close to my ear. Just then a hard hand 
was wrung into my neckcloth, and I felt myself 
dragged out of the water. The next instant my 
senses left me. 

























































































































































. 









































































\ 

















































































































































CHAPTER II. 


LYNCH LAW. 

When I recovered from my state of insensibility, 
and once more opened my eyes, I was lying on the 
bank of a small but deep river. My horse grazed 
quietly a few yards off, and beside me stood a man 
with folded arms, holding a wicker-covered flask in 
his hand. This was all I was able to observe; for 
my state of weakness prevented me from getting up 
and looking around me. 

“ Where am I?” I gasped. 

“Where are you stranger? By the Jacinto; and 
that you are by it, and not in it, is no fault of your’n, 
I reckon.” 

There was something harsh and repulsive in the 
tone and manner in which these words were spoken, 
and in the grating, scornful laugh which accompanied 
them, that jarred upon my nerves, and inspired me 
with a feeling of aversion toward the speaker. I knew 


120 


AD YEN TU EES IN TEXAS. 


he was my deliverer ; that he had saved my life when 
my mustang, raging with thirst, had sprung head¬ 
foremost into the water; that, without him, I must 
inevitably have been drowned, even had the river 
been less deep than it was ; and that it was by his 
care, and the whisky he had made me swallow, 
and of which I still had the flavor on my tongue, 
that had been recovered from my deathlike swoon. 
But had he done ten times as much for me, I could 
not have repressed the feeling of repugnance, the 
inexplicable dislike, with which the mere tones of 
his voice filled me. I turned my head away in 
order not to see him. There was a silence of some 
moments’ duration. 

“Don’t seem as if my company was over and 
above agreeable,” said the man at last. 

“Your company not agreeable? This is the fourth 
day since I saw the face of a human being. During 
that time not a bit nor a drop has passed my tongue.” 

“ Hallo! That ’s a lie! ” shouted the man, with an¬ 
other strange, wild laugh. “You’ve taken a mouthful 
out of my flask; not taken it, certainly, but it went 
over your tongue all the same. Where do you come 
from? The beast ain’t your’n.” 

“Mr. Neal’s,” answered I. 


LYNCH LAW. 


121 


“See it is by the brand. But what brings you 
here from Mr. Heal’s ? It ’s a good seventy miles to 
his plantation, right across the prairie. Ain’t stole 
the horse, have you ?'” 

“Lost my way—four days—eaten nothing.” 

Those words were all I could articulate. I was too 

% 

weak to talk. 

“Four days without eatin’!” said the man, with a 
laugh like the sharpening of a saw, “ and that in a 
Texas prairie, and witli islands on all sides of you! 
Ha! I see how it is. You’re a gentleman — that’s 
plain enough. I was a sort of one myself once. 
You thought our Texas prairies was like the prairies 
in the States. Ha, ha! And so you didn’t know 
how to help yourself. Did you see no bees in the air, 
no strawberries on the airth ? ” 

“Bees? Strawberries’?” repeated I. 

“Yes, bees, which live in the hollow trees. Out of 
twenty trees there is sure to be one full of honey. 
So you saw no bees, eh? Perhaps you don’t know 
the creturs when you see ’em? Ain’t altogether so 
big as wild-geese or turkeys. But you must know 
what strawberries are, and that they don’t grow upon 
the trees.” 

All this was spoken in the same sneering, savage 

6 


122 


* ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


manner as before, with the speaker’s head half turned 
over his shoulder, while his features were distorted 
into a contemptuous grin. 

“ And if I had seen the bees, how was I to get at 
the honey without an ax ? ” 

“How did you lose yourself?” 

« 

“My mustang—ran away—” 

“I see. And you after him. You’d have done bet¬ 
ter to let him run. But what d’ ye mean to do now?” 

“ I am weak — sick to death. I wish to get to the 
nearest house—an inn—anywhere where men are.” 

“ Where men are,” repeated the stranger, with his 
scornful smile. “ Where men are,” he muttered again, 
taking a few steps on one side. 

I was hardly able to turn my head, but there was 
something strange in the man’s movement that 
alarmed me; and making a violent effort, I changed 
my position sufficiently to get him in sight again. 
He had drawn a long knife from his girdle, which he 
clutched in one hand, while he ran the fore-finger of 
the other along its edge. I now for the first time got 
a full view of his face, and the impression it made 
upon me was any thing but favorable. His counte¬ 
nance was the wildest I had ever seen ; his blood-shot 
eyes rolled like balls of fire in their sockets; his 


LYNCH LAW. 


123 


movements and manner were indicative of a violent 
inward struggle. He did not stand still for three sec¬ 
onds together, but paced backward and forward with 
hurried, irregular steps, casting wild glances over his 
shoulder, his fingers playing all the while with the 
knife, with the rapid and objectless movements of a 
maniac. 

I felt convinced that I was the cause of the struggle 
visibly going on within him — that my life or death 
was what he was deciding upon. But, in the state I 
then was, death had no terrors for me. The image of 
my mother, sisters, and father, passed before my eyes. 
I gave one thought to my peaceful, happy home and 
then looked upward and prayed. 

The man had walked off to some distance. I 
turned myself a little more round, and, as I did so, I 
caught sight of the same magnificent phenomenon 
which I had met with on the second day of my wan¬ 
derings. .The colossal live oak rose in all its silvery 
splendor, at the distance of a couple of miles. While 
I was gazing at it, and reflecting on the strange ill- 
luck that had made me pass within so short a 
distance of the river without finding it, I saw my 
new acquaintance approach a neighboring cluster of 
trees, among which he disappeared. 


124 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


After a short time I again perceived him coming 
toward me with a slow and staggering step. As he 
drew near, I had an opportunity of examining his 
whole appearance. He was very tall and lean, but 
large-boned, and apparently of great strength. His 
face, which had not been shaved for several weeks, 
was so tanned by sun and weather, that he might 
have been taken for an Indian, had not the beard 
proved his claim to white blood. But his eyes were 
what most struck me. There was something so 
frightfully wild in their expression, a look of terror 
and desperation, like that of a man whom all the 
furies of hell were hunting and persecuting. His 
hair hung in long ragged locks over his forehead, 
cheeks, and neck, and round his head was bound a 
handkerchief on which were several stains of a brown¬ 
ish-black color. Spots of the same kind were visible 
upon his leathern jacket, breeches, and moccasins ; 
they were evidently blood stains. His hunting-knife, 
which was nearly two feet long, with a rude wooden 
handle, was now replaced in his girdle, but in its 
stead he grasped a Kentucky rifle. 

Although I did my utmost to assume an indifferent 
countenance, my features doubtless expressed some¬ 
thing of the repugnance and horror with which the 


LYNCH LAW. 


125 


man inspired me. He looked loweringly at me for 
a moment from under his shaggy eyebrow’s. 

“You don’t seem to like the company you’ve got 
into,” said he. “Do I look so very desperate then? 
Is it written so plainly on my Ace?” 

“What should there be written upon your face?” 
“What? What? Them questions are for fools 
and children.” 

“ I will ask you none; but as a Christian, as a 

countryman, I beseech you——” 

“ Christian ? ” interrupted iie, with a hollow laugh. 

“Countryman!” He struck*the but of his rifle hard 

upon the ground. “That ife my countryman — my 

* 

only friend! ” he continued, as he examined the flint 
and lock of his weapon. 44 That releases from all 
troubles : that’s a true friend. Pooh! perhaps it’ll 
release you too—put you to rest.” 

These last words were uttered aside, and musingly. 

44 Put him to rest as well as ; -. Pooh! One more 

or less—Perhaps it would # drive away that cursed 
spectre.” All this seemed to be spoken to his rifle. 

“ Will you swear not to betray me ? ” cried he to 

me. 44 Else, one touch-” 

As he spoke, he brought the gun to his shoulder, 
the muzzle pointed full at my breast. 


126 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


I felt no fear. I am sure my pulse did not give 
a throb the more for this menace. So deadly weak 
and helpless as I lay, it was unnecessary to shoot me. 

The slightest blow from the but of the rifle, would 
have driven the last faint spark of life out of my 
exhausted body. I looked calmly, indifferently even, 
into the muzzle of the piece. 

“If you can answer it to your God, to your and 
my Judge and Creator, do your will.” 

My words, which from faintness I could scarcely 
render audible, had, nevertheless, a sudden and start¬ 
ling effect upon the man. He trembled from head 
to foot, let the but of his gun fall heavily to the 
ground, and gazed at me with open mouth and 
staring eyes. 

“This one, too. comes with his God! ” muttered he. 
“God! and your and my Creator — and Judge.” 

He seemed hardly able to articulate these words, 
which were uttered by gasps and efforts, as though 
something had choked him. 

“His and my—Judge”—groaned he again. “ Can 
there be a God, a Creator and Judge?” 

As he stood thus muttering to himself, his eyes 
suddenly became fixed, and his features horribly 
distorted. 


LYNCH LAW. 


127 


“ Do it not! ” cried he, in a shrill tone of horror, 
that rung through my head. “It will bring no 
blessin’ with it. I am a dead man! God be „mer¬ 
ciful to me! My poor wife! my poor children!” 

The rifle fell from his hands, and he smote his 
breast and forehead in a paroxysm of the wildest 
fury and despair. It was frightful to behold the 
conscience-stricken wretch, stamping madly about, 
and casting glances of terror behind him, as though 
demons had been hunting him down. The foam flew 
from his mouth, and I expected each moment to see 
him fall to the ground in a fit of epilepsy. Gradually, 
however, he grew more tranquil. 

“D’ye see nothin’ in my face?” said he in a 
hoarse whisper, suddenly pausing close to where 
I lay. 

“What should I see?” 

He came yet nearer. 

“Look well at me —through me, if you can. 
D’ye see nothin’ now?” 

“I see nothing,” replied I. 

“ Ah! I understand; you can see nothin’. Ain’t 
in a spyin’ humor, I calkilate. No, no, that you 
ain’t. After four days and nights fastin’, one loses 
the fancy for many things. I’ve tried it for two 


128 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


days myself. So, you are weak and faint, eh * But 
I needn’t ask that, I reckon. You look bad enough. 
Take; another drop of whisky; it ’ll strengthen you. 
But wait till I mix it.” 

As he spoke, he stepped down to the edge of the 
river, and scooping up the water in the hollow of his 
hand, filled up his flask with it. Then returning to 
me, he poured a little into my mouth. 

Even the bood-thirsty Indian appears less of a 
savage when engaged in a compassionate act, and 
the wild desperado I had fallen in with seemed 
softened and humanized by the service he was ren¬ 
dering me. His voice sounded less harsh; his 
manner was calmer and milder. 

“You wish to go to an inn?” 

“For Heaven’s sake, yes. These four days I have 
tasted nothing but a bit of tobacco.” 

“ Can you spare a bit of that ? ” 

“All I have.” 

I handed him my cigar-case, and the roll of dulr 
cissimus. He snatched the latter from me, and bit 
into it with the furious eagerness of a wolf. 

“Ah! the right sort this!” muttered he to himself. 
“Ah, young man, or old man—you’re an old man 
ain’t you? How old are you?” 


LYNCH LAW. 


129 


u Two-and-twenty.” 

He shook his head doubtingly. 

“Can hardly believe that. But four days in the 
prairie, and nothin’ to eat. Well, it may be so. But, 
stranger, if I had had this bit of tobacco only ten 

days ago-A bit of tobacco is worth a deal 

sometimes. It might have saved a man’s life! ” 

Again he groaned, and his accents were wild and 
unnatural. 

“I say, stranger!” cried he in a threatening tone. 
“Isay? D’ye see yonder live oak? D’ye see it? 
It’s the Patriarch, and a finer and a mightier one 
you won’t find in the prairies, I reckon. D’ye 
see it ? ” 

“I do see it.” 

“Ah! you see it,” he cried fiercely. “And what 
is it to you ? What have you to do with the Patri¬ 
arch, or what lies under it? I reckon you had best 
not be too curious that way. If you dare take a step 

under that tree-” He swore an oath too horrible 

to be repeated. 

“There’s a specter there,” cried he; “a specter 
that would fright you to death. You’d better keep 
away.” 

“ I will keep away,” replied I. “ I never thought 
6 * 



130 


AD\ ENTUBES IN TEXAS. 


of going near it. All I want is to get to the nearest 
plantation or inn.” 

“Ah! true, man — the next inn. I’ll show you 
the way. I will.” 

“You will save my life by so doing,” said I, “and 
I shall be ever grateful to you as my deliverer.” 

“Deliverer!” repeated he with a wild laugh. 
“Pooh! If you knew what sort of a deliverer— 
Pooh! What’s the use of savin’ a life, when — yet 
I will — I will save yours ; perhaps the cursed spec¬ 
ter will leave me then. Will you not? Will you 
not?” cried he, suddenly changing his scornful, 
mocking tone to one of entreaty and supplication, 
and turning his face in the direction of the live oak. 
Again his wildness of manner returned, and his eyes 
were fixed as he gazed for some moments at the 
gigantic tree. Then darting away, he disappeared 
among the trees, whence he had fetched his rifle, 
and presently emerged again, leading a saddled horse 
with him. He called to me to mount mine, but 
seeing that I was unable even to rise from the ground 
he stepped up to me, and with the greatest ease 
lifted me into the saddle with one hand, so light had 
I become during my long fast. Then taking the end 
of my lasso, he got upon his own horse and set off, 


LYNCH LAW. 


131 


leading my mustang after him. We rode on for 
some time without exchanging a word. My guide 
kept up a sort of muttered soliloquy; but as I was 
full ten paces in bis rear, I could distinguish nothing 
of what he said. At times he would raise his rifle to 
his shoulder, then lower it again, and speak to it, 
sometimes caressingly, sometimes in anger. More 
than once he turned his head, and cast keen, search¬ 
ing glances at me, as though to see whether I were 
watching him or not. 

We had ridden more than an hour, and* the 
strength the whisky had given me was fast failing, 
so that I expected each moment to fall from my 
horse, when suddenly I caught sight of a kind of 
rude hedge, and, almost immediately afterward, of 
the wall of a small block-house. A faint cry of joy 
escaped me, and I endeavored, but in vain, to give 
my horse the spur. My guide turned round, fixed 
his wild eyes upon me, and spoke in a threatening 
tone. 

“ You are impatient, man! impatient, I see. You 
think now, perhaps-” 

“ I am dying,” was all I could utter. In fact my 
senses were leaving me from exhaustion, and I reallv 
thought my last hour was come. 



132 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


“Pooh! dyin’! One don’t die so easy. And yet— 
d-n!—it might be true.” 

He sprang off his horse, and was just in time to 
catch me in his arms as 1 fell from the saddle. A 
few drops of whisky, however, restored me to con¬ 
sciousness. My guide replaced me upon my mustang, 
and after passing through a potato ground, a field 
of Indian corn, and a small grove of peach-trees, we 
found ourselves at the door of the block-house. 

I was so utterly helpless, that my strange compan¬ 
ion was obliged to lift me off my horse, and carry 
me into the dwelling. He set me down upon a 
bench, passive and powerless as an infant. Strange 
to say, I was never better able to observe all that 
passed around me, than during the few hours of 
physical debility that succeeded my immersion in the 
Jacinto. A blow with a reed would have knocked 
me off my seat, but my mental faculties, instead of 
participating in this weakness, seemed sharpened to 
an unusual degree of acuteness. 

The block-house in which we now were was of the 
poorest possible description; a mere log hut, con¬ 
sisting of one room, that served as a kitchen, sitting 
room, and bed-chamber. The door of rough planks 
swung heavily upon two hooks, which fitted into iron 


LYNCH LAW. 


133 


rings, and formed a clumsy substitute for hinges ; a 
wooden latch and heavy bar served to secure it; 
windows, properly speaking, there were none, but in 
their stead a few holes covered with dirty oiled 
paper; the floor was of clay, stamped hard and dry 
in the middle, but out of which at the sides of the 
room, a crop of rank grass was growing a foot or 
more high. In one corner stood a clumsy bedstead, 
in another stood a sort of bar or counter, on which 
were half a dozen drinking glasses of various sizes 
and patterns. The table consisted of four thick 
posts, firmly planted in the ground, and on which 
were nailed three boards that had apparently be¬ 
longed to some chest or case, for they were partly 
painted, and there was a date, and the three first 
letters of a word upon one of them. A shelf fixed 
against the side of the hut supported an earthern pot 
or two, and three or four bottles, uncorked, and ap¬ 
parently empty; and from some wooden pegs, wedged 
in between the logs, hung suspended a few articles 
of wearing apparel of no very cleanly aspect. 

Pacing up and down the hut with a kind of 
stealthy, cat-like pace, was an individual, whose un¬ 
prepossessing exterior was in good keeping with the 
wretched appearance of this Texan shebeen house. 


134 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


He was an undersized, stooping figure, red-haired 
and large-mouthed, with small reddish pig’s eyes, 
which he seemed totally unable to raise from the 
ground, and whose lowering, hang-dog expression 
corresponded fully with the treacherous, restless, 
panther-like stealthiness of his step and movements. 
Without greeting ns either by word or look, this per¬ 
sonage dived into a dark corner of the tenement, 
brought out a full bottle, and, placing it and glasses 
upon the table, resumed the monotonous exercise in 
which he had been indulging on our entrance. 

My guide and deliverer said nothing while the 
tavern-keeper was getting out the bottle, although he 
watched all his movements with a keen and suspicious 
eye. He now filled a large glass of spirits, and 
tossed it off at a single draught. When he had done 
this, he spoke for the first time. 

“Johnny!” 

Johnny made no answer. 

“This gentleman has eaten nothing for four days.” 

“Indeed,” replied Johnny, without looking up, or 
intermitting his sneaking, restless walk from one 
corner of the room to the other. 

“I said four days, d’ye hear? Four days. Bring 
him tea immediately, strong tea, then make some 


LYNCH LAW. 


135 


good beef-soup. I know you have bought some tea 
and rum and sugar. The tea must be ready directly, 
the soup in an hour at farthest, d’ ye understand ? 
And then I want some whisky for myself, and a 
beefsteak and potatoes. Now tell all that to your 
Sambo.” 

Johnny did not seem to hear, but continued his 
walk, creeping along with a noiseless step, and each 
time that he turned, giving a sort of spring like a 
cat or panther. 

“I’ve money, Johnny,” said my guide. “Money, 
man, d’ye hear?” And so saying, he produced a 
toleraly full purse. 

For the first time Johnny raised his head, gave an 
indefinable glance at the purse, and then, springing 
forward, fixed his small, cunning eyes upon those of 
my guide, while a smile of strange meaning spread 
over his repulsive features. 

The two men stood for the space of a minute, 
staring at each other, without uttering a word. An 
infernal grin distended Johnny’s coarse mouth from 
ear to ear. My guide gasped for breath. 

“I’ve money,” cried he at last, striking the but of 
his rifle violently on the ground. D’ye understand, 
Johnny ? Money; and a rifle too, if needs be.” 


136 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


He stepped to the table and filled another glass of 
raw spirits which disappeared like the preceding one. 
While he drank, Johnny stole out of the room so 
softly that my companion was only made aware of 
his departure by the noise of the wooden latch. He 
then came up to me, took me in his arms without 
saying a word, and carrying me to the bed, laid me 
gently down upon it. 

“You make yourself at home,” snarled Johnny, 
who just then came in again. 

“Always do that, I reckon, when I’m in a tavern,” 
answered my guide, quietly pouring out and swal¬ 
lowing another glassful. “ The gentleman shall have 
your bed to-day. You and your Sambo may sleep in 
the pig-sty. You have none though, I believe?” 

“Bob!” screamed Johnny furiously. 

“That’s my name—Bob Kock.” 

“For the present,” hissed Johnny with a sneer. 

“Just as yours is Johnny Down,” replied Bob in 
the same tone. “Pooh! Johnny, guess we know one 
another ? ” 

“Rather calkilate we do,” replied Johnny through 
his teeth. 

“And have done many a day,” laughed Bob. 

“You’re the famous Bob from Sodoma in Georgia.” 


LYNCH LAW. 


137 


“Sodoma in Alabama, Johnny. Sodoma lies in^. 
Alabama,” said Bob, filling another glass. “Don’t 
you know that yet, you who were above a year in 
Columbus, doin’ all sorts of dirty work ? ” 

“Better hold your tongue, Bob,” said Johnny, with 
a dangerous look at me. 

“Pooh! Don’t mind him; he won’t talk, I’ll an¬ 
swer for it. He ’s lost the taste for chatterin’ in the 
Jacinto prairie. But Sodoma,” continued Bob, “is 
in Alabama, man! Columbus in Georgia! They 
are parted by the Chatahoochie. Ah! that was a 
jolly life on the Chatahoochie. But nothin’ lasts in 
this world, as my old schoolmaster used to say. 
Pooh! They’ve druv the Injuns a step further over 
the Mississippi now. But it was a glorious life — 
warn’t it ? ” 

Again he filled his glass and drank. 

The information I gathered from this conversation 
as to the previous life and habits of these two men, 
had nothing in it very satisfactory or encouraging 
tor me. In the whole of the south-western States 
there was no place that could boast of being the 
resort of so many outlaws and bad characters as the} 
town of Sodoma. It is situated, or was situated, at 
least, a few years previously to the time I speak of, 


138 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


in Alabama, on Indian ground, and was the harbor 
of refuge for all the murderers and outcasts from the 
western and south-western parts of the Union. There, 
under Indian government, they found shelter and 
security; and frightful were the crimes and cruelties 
perpetrated at that place. Scarcely a day passed 
without an assassination, not secretly committed, but 
in broad sunlight. Bands of these wretches, armed 
with knives and rifles, used to cross the Chatahoochie, 
and make inroads into Columbus ; break into houses, 
rob, murder, ill-treat women, and then return in 
triumph to their dens, laden with booty, and laughing 
at the laws. It was useless to think of pursuing 
them, or of obtaining justice, for they were on Indian 
territory ; and many of the chiefs were in league 
with them. At length, General Jackson and the 
government took it up. The Indians were driven 
over the Mississippi, the outlaws and murderers fled, 
Sodoma itself disappeared ; and, released from its 
troublesome neighbors, Columbus is now as flourish¬ 
ing a State as any in the west. 

The recollections of their former life and exploits 
seemed highly interesting to the two comrades; and 
their communications became more and more con¬ 
fidential. Johnny filled himself a glass, and the 


LYNCH LAW. 


139 


conversation soon increased in animation. I conld 
understand a little of what they said, for they spoke 
a sort of thieves’ jargon. After a time, their voices 
sounded as a confused hum in my ears, the objects 
in the room got gradually less distinct, and I fell 
asleep. 

I was roused, not very gently, by a mulatto woman, 
who poured a spoonful of tea into my mouth before 
I had well opened my eyes. She at first did not 
attend to me with much apparent good-will; but by 
the time she had given me half-a-dozen spoonfuls, 
her womanly sympathies were awakened, and her 
manner became kinder. The tea did me an infinite 
deal of good, and infused new life into my veins. 
I finished the cup, and the mulatto laid me down 
again on my pillow, with far more gentleness than 
she had lifted me up. 

“ Gor ! Gor! ” cried she, “ what poor young man! 
Berry weak. Him soon better. One hour, massa, 
good soup.” 

“Soup! What do you want with soup?” grumbled 
J ohnny. 

“Him take soup. I cook it,” screamed the woman. 

“Worse for you if she don’t, Johnny,” said Bob; 
“worse for you, I say.” 


140 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


Johnny muttered something in reply, but I did 
not distinguish what it was, for my eyes closed, and 
I again fell asleep. 

It seemed as if I had not been five minutes 
slumbering when the mulatto returned with the soup. 
The tea had revived me, but this gave me strength ; 
and when I had taken it I was able to sit up in the bed. 

While the woman fed me, Bob ate his beef-steak. 
It was a piece of meat that might have sufficed for 
six persons, but the man was as hungry as if he had 
eaten nothing for three days. He cut off wedges 
half as big as his fist, swallowed them with ravenous 
eagerness, and, instead of bread, bit into some un¬ 
peeled potatoes. All this was washed down with 
glass after glass of raw spirits, which had the effect 
of wakening him up, and infusing a certain cheerful 
ness into his strange humor. He still spoke more to 
himself than to Johnny, but his recollections seemed 
agreeable; he nodded self-approvingly, and sometimes 
laughed aloud. At last he began to abuse Johnny 
for being, as he said, such a sneaking, cowardly 
fellow—such a treacherous, false-hearted gallows-bird. 

“It’s true,” said he, “I am gallows-bird enough 
myself, but then I’m open, and no man can say I’m 
afeard ; but Johnny, Johnny, who”- 


LYNCH LAW. 


141 


I do not know what he was about to say, for 
Johnny sprang toward him, and placed both hands 
over his mouth, receiving in return a blow ihat 
knocked him as far as the door, through which he 
retreated, cursing and grumbling. 

I soon fell asleep again, and while in that state ± 
had a confused consciousness of various noises in the 
room, loud words, blows, and shouting. Wearied as 
I was, however, I believe no noise would have 
fully roused me, although hunger at last did. 

When I opened my eyes I saw the mulatto woman 
sitting by my bed, and keeping off the musquitoes. 
She brought me the remainder of the soup, and 
promised, if I would sleep a couple of hours more, to 
bring me as good a beef-steak, as ever came off a 
gridiron. Before the two hours had elapsed 1 awoke, 
hungrier than ever. After I had eaten all the beef¬ 
steak the woman would allow me, which was a very 
moderate quantity, she brought me a beer-glass full 
of the most delicious punch I ever tasted. I asked 
her where she had got the rum and lemons, and she 
told me that it was she who had bought them, as well 
as a stock of coffee and tea; that Johnny was her 
partner, but that he had done nothing but build the 
house, and badly built it was. She then began to 


142 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


abuse Johnny, and said he was a gambler, and worse 
still; that he had had plenty of money once, but 
had lost it all; that she had first known him in 
Lower Natchez, but he had been obliged to run 
away from there in the night to save his neck. Bob 
was no better, she said; on the contrary—and here 
she made the gesture of cutting a man’s throat—he 
was a very bad fellow, she added. He had got drunk 
after his dinner, knocked Johnny down, and broken 
every thing. He was now lying asleep outside the 
door; and Johnny had hidden himself somewhere. 

How long she continued speaking I know not, 
for I again fell into a deep sleep, which this time 
lasted six or seven hours. 

I was awakened by a strong grasp laid upon my 
arm, which made me cry out, more, however, from 
alarm than pain. Bob stood by my bedside; the 
traces of the preceding night’s debauch plainly 
written on his haggard countenance. His blood-shot 
eyes were inflamed and swollen, and rolled with 
even more than their usual wildness; his mouth was 
open, and the jaws were stiff and fixed; he looked 
like one fresh from the perpetration of some frightful 
deed. I could have fancied the first murderer to 
have worn such an aspect when gazing on the body 


LYNCH LAW. 


143 


of his slaughtered brother. I shrank back, horror- 
struck at his appearance. 

“In God’s name, man, what do you want?” 

He made no answer. 

“You are in a fever. You’ve the ague! ” 

“Ay, a fever,” groaned he, shivering as he spoke; 
“a fever, but not the one you mean; a fever, young 
man, such as God keep you from ever having.” 

His whole frame shuddered as he uttered these 
words. There was a short pause. 

“Curious that,” continued he; “I’ve served more 
than one in the same way, but never thought of it 
afterward—was forgotten in less than no time. Got 
to pay the whole score at once, I suppose. Can’t 
rest a minute. In the open prairie it’s the worst; 
there stands the old man, so plain, with his silver 
beard and the specter just behind him.” 

His eyes rolled, he clenched his fists, and striking 
his forehead furiously, rushed out of the hut. 

In a few minutes he returned, apparently more 
composed, and walked straight up to my bed. 

“Stranger, you must do me a service,” said he 
abruptly. 

“Ten rather than one,” replied I; “any thing that 
is in my power. Do I not owe you my life?” 


144 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


“You’re a gentleman, I see, and a Christian. You 
must come with me to the squire—the Alcalde.” 

“To the Alcalde, man? What must 1 go there for?” 

“You’ll see and hear when you get there; I’ve 
something to tell him—something for his own ear.” 

He drew a deep breath, and remained silent for a 
short time, gazing anxiously on all sides of him. 

“Something,” whispered he, “that nobody else 
must hear.” 

“But there’s Johnny there. Why not take him?” 

“Johnny!” cried he, with a scornful laugh— 
“Johnny! who’s ten times worse than I am, bad as I 
be ; and bad I am to be sure, but yet open and 
above board, always, till this time; but Johnny! 
he’d sell his own mother. He ’s a cowardly, sneakin’, 
treacherous hound, is Johnny.” 

It was unnecessary to tell me this, for Johnny’s 
character was written plainly enough upon his 
countenance. 

“But why do you want me to go to the Alcalde !’** 

“Why does one want people before the judge? 
He’s a judge, man; a Mexican one certainly, but 
chosen by us Americans; and an American himself, 
as you and I are.” 

“And how soon must I go?” 


LYNCH LAW. 


145 


“ Directly. I can’t bear it any longer. It leaves 
me no peace. Not an hour’s rest have I had for the 
last eight days. When I go out into the prairie, the 
specter stands before me and beckons me on; and if 
I try to go another way, he comes behind me and 
drives me before him under the Patriarch. I see 
him just as plainly as when he was alive, only paler 
and sadder. It seems as if I could touch him with 
my hand. Even the bottle is no use now; neither 
rum, nor whisky, nor brandy, rid me of him; it 
don’t, by the ’tarnal. Carious that! I got drunk 
yesterday—thought to get rid of him; but he came 
in the night and drove me out. I was obliged to go. 
Would n’t let me sleep ; was forced to go under the 
Patriarch.” 

“Under the Patriarch? the live oak?” cried I, in 
astonishment. “Were you there in the night?” 

“ Ay, that was I,” replied he in the same horribly 
confidential tone; “ and the spirit threatened me, and 
said, says he, C 1 will leave you no peace, Bob, till you 
go to the Alcalde and tell him.’” 

“Then I will go with you to the Alcalde, and that 
immediately,” said I, raising myself up in bed. I could 
not help pitying the poor fellow from my very soul. 

“Where are you going?” croaked Johnny, who at 
7 


146 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


this moment glided into the room. “Not a step shall 
you stir till you’ve paid.” 

“Johnny,” said Bob, seizing his less powerful com¬ 
panion by the shoulders, lifting him up like a child, 
and then setting him down again with such force, 
that his knees cracked and bent under him; — 
“Johnny, this gentleman is my guest, d’ye under¬ 
stand? And here is the reckonin’, and mind yourself, 
Johnny—mind yourself, that’s all.” 

Johnny crept into a corner like a flogged hound; 
the mulatto woman, however, did not seem disposed 
to be so easily intimidated. Sticking her arms in 
her sides, she waddled boldly forward. 

“You not take him ’way, Massa Bob?” screamed 
she. “Him stop here. Him berry weak—not able 
for ride—not able for stand on him foot.” 

This was true enough. Strong as I had felt in bed, 
- I could hardly stand upright when I got out of it. 

For a moment Bob seemed undecided, but only 
for a moment; then, stepping up to the mulatto, he 
lifted her, fat and heavy as she was, in the same 
manner as he had done her partner, at least a foot 
from the ground, and carried her screaming and 
struggling to the door, which he kicked open. Then 
setting her down outside, “Silence!” roared he, “and 


LYNCH LAW. 


147 


some strong tea instead of your cursed chatter, and 
a fresh beefsteak instead of your stinking carcass. 
That will strengthen the gentleman; so be quick 
about it, you old brown-skinned beast, you! ” 

I had slept in my clothes, and my toilet was con¬ 
sequently soon made, by the help of a bowl of water 
and a towel, which Bob made Johnny bring, and 
then ordered him to go and get our horses ready. 

A hearty breakfast of tea, butter, Indian-corn 
bread, and steaks, increased my strength so much, 
that I was able to mount my mustang. I had still 
pains in all my limbs, but we rode slowly; the 
morning was bright, the air fresh and elastic, and I 
felt myself gradually getting better. Our path led 
through the prairie; the river, fringed with wood, on 
the one hand, the vast ocean of grass, sprinkled with 
innumerable islands of trees, on the other. We saw 
abundance of game, which sprang up under the very 
feet of our horses ; but although Bob had his rifle, he 
made no use of it. He muttered continually to him¬ 
self, and seemed to be arranging what he should say 
to the judge; for I heard him talking of things which 
I would just as soon not have listened to, if I could 
have helped it. I was heartily glad when we at 
length reached the plantation of the Alcalde. 


148 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


It seemed a very considerable one, and the size 
and appearance of the frame-work house bespoke 
comfort and even luxury. The building was sur¬ 
rounded by a group of China trees, which I should 
have thought about ten years of age, but which I 
afterward learned had not been planted half that 
time, although they were already large enough to 
afford a very agreeable shade. Right in front of the 
house rose a live oak, inferior in size to the one in 
the prairie, but still of immense age and great 
beauty. To the left were some two hundred acres 
of cotton fields, extending to the bank of the Jacinto, 
which at this spot made a sharp turn, and winding 
round the plantation, inclosed it on three sides. 
Before the house lay the prairie, with its archipelago 
of islands, and herds of grazing cattle and mus¬ 
tangs ; to the right, more cotton fields; and in rear 
of the dwelling, the negro cottages and out-buildings. 
There was a Sabbath-like stillness pervading the 
whole scene, which seemed to strike even Bob. He 
paused as though in deep thought, and allowed his 
hand to rest for a moment on the handle of the 
lattice door. Then, with a sudden and resolute jerk, 
bespeaking an equally energetic resolve, he pushed 
open the gate, and we entered a garden planted with 


LYNCH LAW. 


149 


orange, banana, and citron trees, the path through 
which was inclosed between palisades, and led to a 
sort of front court, with another lattice-work door, 
beside which hung a bell. Upon ringing this, a 
negro appeared. 

The black seemed to know Bob very well, for he 
nodded to him as to an old acquaintance, and feaid 
the squire wanted him, and asked after him several 
times. He then led the way to a large parlor, very 
handsomely furnished for Texas, and in which we 
found the squire, or more properly speaking, the 
Alcalde, sitting smoking his cigar. He had just 
breakfasted, and the plates and dishes were still upon 
the table. Pie did not appear to be much given to 
compliments or ceremony, or to partake at all of 
the Yankee failing of curiosity, for he answered 
our salutation with a laconic “ good-morning,” and 
scarcely even looked at us. At the very first glance, 
it was easy to see that he came from Tennessee or 
Virginia, the only provinces in which one finds men 
of his gigantic mould. Even sitting, his head rose 
above those of the negro servants in waiting. Nor 
was his height alone remarkable; he had the true 
West-Yirginian build ; the enormous chest and shoul¬ 
ders, and herculean limbs, the massive features and 


150 ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 

sharp gray eyes; altogether an exterior well calcu¬ 
lated to impose on the rough backwoodsmen with 
whom he had to deal. 

I was tired with my ride, and took a chair. The 
squire apparently did not deem me worthy of notice, 
or else reserved me for a later scrutiny; but he fixed 
a long, searching look upon Bob, who remained 
standing, with his head sunk on his breast. 

The judge at last broke silence. 

“So here you are again, Bob. It’s long since 
we’ve seen you, and I thought you had clean for¬ 
gotten us. Well, Bob, we shouldn’t have broke our 
hearts, I reckon; for I hate gamblers—ay, that I 
do — worse than skunks. It’s a vile thing is play, 
and has ruined many a man, both in this world and 
the next. It’s ruined you too, Bob.” 

Bob said nothing. 

“You’d have been mighty useful here last week; 
there was plenty for you to do. My step-daughter 
arrived ; but as you were n’t to be found, we had to 
send to Joel to shoot us a buck and a few snipes. 
Ah, Bob l one might still make a good citizen of you, 
if you’d only leave off that cursed play 1 ” 

• Bob still remained silent. 

“ Now go into the kitchen and get some breakfast.” 


LYNCH LAW. 


151 


Bob neither answered nor moved. / 

“D’ye hear? Go into the kitchen and get some¬ 
thing to eat. And, Ptoly”—added he to the ne¬ 
gro— “tell Yeny to give him a pint of mm.” 

“Don’t want yer rum—aint thirsty”—growled 
Bob. 

“Yery like, very like,” said the judge sharply. 
“Reckon you’ve taken too much already. Look as 
if you could swallow a wild-cat alive. And you,” 
added he, turning to me—“Ptoly, what the devil 
are you at? Do n’t you see the man wants his break¬ 
fast? Where’s the coffee? Or would you rather 
have tea?” 

“Thank you, Alcalde, I have breakfasted already.” 

“Don’t look as if. Ain’t sick, are you? Where 
do you come from ? What ’s happened to you ? Ain’t 
got the ague, have you ? What are you doing with 
Bob?” 

He looked keenly and searchingly at me, and then 
again at Bob. My appearance was certainly not very 
prepossessing, unshaven as I was, and with my 
clothes and linen soiled and torn. He was evidently 
considering what could be the motive of our visit, 
and what had brought me into Bob’s society. The 
result of his physiognomical observations did not 




152 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


appear very favorable either to me or my companion. 
1 hastened to explain. 

“ You shall hear how it was, judge. I am indebted 
to Bob for my life.” 

“ Your life! Indebted to Bob for your life!” re¬ 
peated the judge, shaking his head incredulously. 

I related now I had lost my way in the prairie ; 
had been carried into the Jacinto by my horse ; and 
how I should inevitably have been drowned but for 
Bob’s aid. 

“Indeed!” said the judge, when I had done speak¬ 
ing. So Bob saved your life! Is that true, Bob ? 
Well, I am glad of it, Bob—very glad of it. Ah! 
if yon could only keep away from that Johnny. I 
tell you, Bob, Johnny will be the ruin of you. 
Better keep out of his way.” 

This was spoken gravely and earnestly, the speaker 
pausing between the sentences to take a pull at his 
cigar, and a sup out of his glass. 

“Yes, Bob,” he repeated ; “only keep away from 
Johnny!” 

“It’s too late,” answered Bob. 

“Don’t know why it should be. Never too late to 
leave a debauched, sinful life; never, man! ” 

“ Calkilate it is, though,” replied Bob, sullenly. 


LYNCH LAW. 


153 


“You calculate it is?” said the judge fixing his 
eyes upon him. “And why do you calculate that? 
Take a glass—Ptoly, a glass—and tell me, man, 
why should it be too late?” 

“I ain’t thirsty, squire,” said Bob. 

“Do n’t talk to me of your thirst; rum ’s not for 
thirst, but to strengthen the heart and nerves, to 
drive away the blue-devils. And a good thing it is, 
taken in moderation.” 

As he spoke he filled himself a glass, and drank 
half of it off. Bob shook his head. 

“No rum for me, squire. I take no pleasure in 
it. I’ve something on my mind too heavy for rum 
to wash away.” 

“And what is that, Bob? Come, let’s hear what 
you’ve got to say. Or, perhaps, you’d rather speak 
to me alone. It’s Sunday to-day, and no business 
ought to be done ; but for once, and for you, we’ll 
make an exception.” 

“ I brought the gentleman with me on purpose to 
witness what I had to say,” answered Bob, taking 
a cigar out of the box that stood on the table. 
Although the judge had not asked him to take 
one, he very quietly offered him a light. Bob 
smoked a whiff or two, looked thoughtfully at the 
7 * 


154 


ADVENTtfBES IN TEXAS. 


judge, and then threw the cigar through the open 
window. 

“It don’t relish, squire ; nothin’ does now.” 

“Ah, Bob! if you’d leave off play and drink! 
They ’re your ruin ; worse than the ague or fever.” 

“It’s no use,” continued Bob, as if he did not hear 
the judge’s remark ; it must out. I fo’t agin it, 
and thought to drive it away, but it can’t be done. 
I’ve put a bit of lead into several before now, but 
this one”—— 

“What’s that?” cried the jndge, chucking his 
cigar away, and looking sternly at Bob. “What’s 
up now? What are you saying about a bit of lead? 
None of your Sodoma and Lower Natchez tricks, I 
hope? They won’t do here. Don’t understand such 
jokes.” 

“Pooh! they don’t understand them a bit more in 
Natchez. If they did, I shouldn’t be in Texas.” 

“The less said of that the better, Bob. You prom¬ 
ised to lead a new life here ; so we won’t rake up old 
stories.” 

“I did,J did!” groaned Bob; “and I meant it 
too ; but it ’s all no use. I shall never be better till 
I’m hung.” 

I stared at the man in astonishment. The judge, 


LYNCH LAW. 


155 


however, took another cigar, lighted it, and, after 
puffing out a cloud of smoke, säid, very uncon¬ 
cernedly— 

“Not better till you’re hung! What do you want 
to be hung for ? To be sure, you should have been 
long ago, if the Georgia and Alabama papers don’t 
lie. But we are not in the States here, but in Texas, 
under Mexican laws. It ’s nothing to us what you ’ve 
done yonder. Where there is no accuser there can 
be no judge.” 

“ Send away the nigger, Squire,” said Bob. “ What 
a free white man has to say, shouldn’t be heard by 
black ears.” 

“ Go away, Ptoly,” said the judge. “Now then,” 
added he, turning to Bob, “say what you have to 
say ; but mind, nobody forces you to do it, and it ’s 
only out of good-will that I listen to you, for to-day ’s 
Sunday.” 

“I know that,” muttered Bob; “I know that, 
but it leaves me no peace, and it must out. I’ve 
been to San Felipe de Austin, to Anahuac, every¬ 
where, but it’s all no use. Wherever I go the specter 
follows me, and drives me back under the cursed 
Patriarch.” 

“ Under the Patriarch ! ” exclaimed the judge. 


156 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


“ Ay, under the Patriarch! ” groaned Bob. “ Do n’t 
you know the Patriarch; the old live oak near the 
ford, on the Jacinto?” 

“I know, I know!” answered the judge. “And 
what drives you under the Patriarch?” 

“What drives me? What drives a man who— 
who”- 

“A man who”-repeated the judge, gently. 

“A man,” continued Bob, in the same low tone, 
“ who has sent a rifle bullet into another’s heart. He 
lies there, under the Patriarch, whom I”- 

“Whom you?” asked the judge. 

“ Whom I killed ! ” said Bob, in a hollow whisper. 

“ Killed! ” exclaimed the judge. “ You killed him ? 
Who?” 

“Ah ! who? Why don’t you let me speak? You 
always interrupt me with your palaver,” growled Bob. 

“You are getting saucy, Bob,” said the judge im¬ 
patiently. “Go on, however. I reckon it’s only one 
of your usual tantrums.” 

Bob shook his head. The judge looked keenly at 
him for a moment, and then resumed in a sort of 
confidential, encouraging tone. 

“Under the Patriarch; and how did he come 
under the Patriarch?” 


LYNCH LAW. 


157 


“I dragged him there, and buried him there,” 
replied Boh. 

“Dragged him there! Why did you drag him 
there ? ” 

“Because he couldn’t go himself, with more than 
half an ounce of lead in his body.” 

“And you put the half ounce of lead into him, 
Bob? Well, if it was Johnny, you’ve done the 
country a service, and saved it a rope.” 

Bob shook his head negatively. 

“It wasn’t Johnny, although- But you shall 

hear all about it. It’s just ten days since you paid 
me twenty dollars fifty.” 

“ I did so, Bob; twenty dollars fifty cents; and I 
advised you at the same time to let the money lie till 
you had a couple of hundred dollars, or enough to 
buy a quarter or an eighth of Sitio land ; but advice 
is thrown away upon you.” 

“ When I got the money, I thought I’d go down 
to San Felipe, to the Mexicans, and try my luck, and, 
at the same time, to see the doctor about my fever. 
As I was goin’ there, I passed near Johnny’s house, 
and fancied a glass, but determined not to get off my 
horse. I rode up to the window, and looked in. 
There was a man sittin’ at the table, havin’ a hearty 


158 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


good dinner of steaks and potatoes, and washin’ it 
down with a stiff glass of grog. I began to feel 
hungry myself, and while I was considerin’ whether 
I should ’light or not, Johnny came sneakin’ out, and 
whispered to me to come in, that there was a man 
inside with whom somethin’ might be done if we 
went the right way to work; a man who had a 
leather belt round his waist cram-full of hard Jack- 
son ; and that if we got out the cards and pretended 
to play a little together, he would soon take the bait 
and join us. 

“I wasn’t much inclined,” continued Bob; “but 
Johnny bothered me so to go in, that I got off my 
horse. As I did so, the dollars chinked in my 
pocket, and the sound was like the devil’s voice 
’ticing me to play. 

“I went in; and Johnny fetched me the whisky 
bottle. One glass followed another. There were 
beefsteaks and potatoes too, but I only eat a couple 
of mouthfuls. When I had drank two, three, ay, four 
glasses, Johnny brought the cards and dice. ‘Hallo, 
Johnny!’ says I; ‘cards and dice, Johnny! I’ve 
twenty dollars fifty in my pocket. Let’s have a 
game! But no more drink for me; for I know you, 
Johnny, I know you’- 


LYNCH LAW. 


159 


“Johnny larfed slyly, and rattled the dice, and 
we sat down to play. I had n’t meant to drink any 
more, but play makes one thirsty; and with every 
glass 1 got more eager, and my dollars got fewer. I 
reckoned, however, that the stranger would join us, 
and that I should be able to win back from him ; but 
not a bit of it: he sat quite quiet, and ate and drank 
as if he did n’t see we were there. I went on playin’ 
madder than ever, and before half an hour was over, I 
was cleaned out; my twenty dollars fifty gone to the 
devil, or what’s the same thing, into Johnny’s pocket. 

“When I found myself without a cent, I was mad, 
I reckon. It warn’t the first time, nor the hundredth, 
that I had lost money. Many bigger sums than 
that—ay, hundreds and thousands of dollars had I 
played away—but they had none of them cost me 
the hundredth or thousandth part of the trouble to 
get that these twenty dollars fifty had; two full 
months had I been slavin’ away in the woods and 
prairies to airn them, and caught the fever there. 
The fever I had still, but no money to cure it with. 
Johnny only larfed in my face, and rattled my dol¬ 
lars. I made a hit at him, which, if he hadn’t 
jumped on one side, would have cured him of larfin’ 
for a week or two. 


160 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


“ Presently, however, he came sneakin’ up to me 
and winkin, and whisperin’; and, ‘Bob!’ says he, 
‘is it come to that with you? are you grown so 
chicken-hearted that you don’t see the beltful of 
money round his body?’ said he, lookin’ at it. ‘No 
end of hard coin, I guess; and all to be had for 
little more than half an ounce of lead.’ ” 

“Did he say that?” asked the judge. 

“Ay, that did he, but I wouldn’t listen to him. I 
was mad with him for winning my twenty dollars ; and 
I told him that, if he wanted the stranger’s purse, he 

might take it himself, and be d-d ; that I was n’t 

goin’ to pull the hot chestnuts out of the fire for him. 
And I got on my horse, and rode away like mad. 

“ My head spun round like a mill. I could n’t get 
over my loss. I took the twenty dollars fifty more to 
heart than any money I had ever gambled. I did n’t 
know where to go. I did n’t dare go back to you, for 
I knew you would scold me.” 

“I shouldn’t have scolded you, Bob; or, if I had, 
it would only have been for your good. I should 
have summoned Johnny before me, called together a 
jury of twelve of the neighbors, got you back your 
twenty dollars fifty, and sent Johnny out of the 
country; or, better still, out of the world.” 



LYNCH LAW. 


161 


These words were spoken with much phlegm, but 
yet with a degree of feeling and sympathy which 
greatly improved my opinion of the worthy judge. 
Bob also seemed touched. He drew a deep sigh, and 
gazed at the Alcalde with a melancholy look. 

“It’s too late,” muttered he; “too late, squire.” 

“Perhaps not,” replied the judge; but let’s hear 
the rest.” 

“Well,” continued Bob, “I kept ridin’ on at ran¬ 
dom, and when evenin’ came I found myself near the 
palmetto field on the bank of the Jacinto. As I was 
ridin’ past it, I heard all at once a tramp of a horse. 
At that moment the queerest feelin’ I ever had came 
over me ; a sort of cold shiverin’ feel. I forgot where 
I was; sight and hearin’ left me; I could only see 
two things, my twenty dollars fifty, and the well-filled 
belt of the stranger I had left at Johnny’s. Just 
then a voice called to me. 

“‘Whence come, countryman, and whither going?’ 
it said. 

“ 4 Whence and whither,’ answered I, as surly as 
could be; 4 to the devil at a gallop, and you’d better 
ride on and tell him I’m cornin’.’ 

“‘You can do the errand yourself,’answered the 
stranger, larfin’; ‘my road don’t lie that way.’ 


162 ADVENTURES tlS TEXAS. 

“ As he spoke, I looked round, and saw, what I was 
pretty sure of before, that it was the man with the 
belt full of money. 

lt< Ain’t you the stranger*I see’d in the inn yonder?’ 
asked he. 

“‘And if I am,’ says I, ‘what’s that to you?’ 

“‘Nothin’,’ said he; ‘nothin’, certainly.’ 

“‘Better ride on,’ says I, ‘and leave me quiet.’ 

“‘Will so, stranger; but you needn’t take it so 
mighty onkind. A word ain’t a tomahawk, I reckon,’ 
said he. ‘ But I rayther expect your losin’s at play 
ain’t put you in a very church-goin’ humor; and, if 
I was you, I’d keep my dollars in my pocket, and 
not set them on cards and dice.’ 

“It riled me to hear him cast my losin’s in my 
teeth that way. 

“‘You’re a nice feller, said I, ‘to throw a 
man’s losses in his face. A pitiful chap you are,’ 
says I. 

“I thought to provoke him, and that he’d tackle 
me. But he seemed to have no fancy for a fight, for 
he s'aid, quite humble like— 

“ ‘ I throw nothin’ in your face; God forbid I should 
reproach you with your losses! I’m sorry for you, 
on the contrary. Don’t look like a man w'ho can 


LYNCH LAW. 


163 

afford to lose his dollars. Seem to me one who 
aims his money by hard work.’ 

“We were just then halted at the further end of 
the cane-brake, close to the trees that border the 
Jacinto. I had turned my horse, and was frontin’ 
the stranger. And all the time the devil was busy 
whisperin’ to me, and pointin’ to the belt round the 
man’s waist. I could see where it was plain enough, 
though he had buttoned his coat over it. 

“‘Hard work, indeed,’says I; ‘and now I’ve lost 
every thing; not a cent left for a quid of bacCy.’ 

‘“If that’s all,’ says he, ‘there’s help for that. I 
don’t chew myself, and I ain’t a rich man; I’ve wife 
and children, and want every cent I’ve got, but its 
one’s duty to help ä countryman. You shall have 
money for tobacco and a dram.’ 

“ And so sayin’, he took a purse out of his pocket, 
in which he carried his change. It was pretty full; 
there may have been some twenty dollars in it; and 
as he drew the string, it was as if the devil laughed 
and nodded to me out of the openin’ of the purse. 

“‘Halves!’ cried I. 

“‘Ho, not that,’ says he; ‘I’ve wife and child, and 
what I have belongs to them ; but half a dollar--’ 

“‘Halves!’ cried I again, ‘or else-’• 



164 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


“‘Or else?’repeated he; and as he spoke, he put 
the purse back into his pocket, and laid hold of the 
rifle which was slung on his shoulder. 

“‘Don’t force me to do you a mischief,’ said he, 
‘Don’t,’ says he; ‘we might both be sorry for it. 
What you’re thinkin’ of brings no blessin’.’ 

“ I was past seein’ or bearin’. A thousand devils 
from hell possessed me. 

' “‘Halves!’ I screeched out; and, as I said the 
word, he sprang out of the saddle, and fell back over 
his horse’s crupper to the ground. 

“‘I’m a dead man!’ cried he, as well as the rattle 
in his throat would let him. ‘God be merciful to 
me! My poor wife, my poor children!’” 

Bob paused; he gasped for breath, and the sweat 
stood in large drops upon his forehead. He gazed 
wildly round the room. The judge himself looked 
very pale. I tried to rise, but sank back in my chair. 
Without the table, I believe I should have fallen to 
the ground. 

There was a gloomy pause of some moments’ 
duration. At last the judge broke silence. 

“A hard, hard case!” said he. “Father, mother, 
children, all at one blow. Bob, you are a bad fellow; 
a very bad fellow; a great villain! ” 


LYNCH LAW. 


165 


“A great villain,” groaned Bob. “The ball was 
gone right through his breast.” 

“ Perhaps your gun went off by accident,” said the 
judge, anxiously. “Perhaps it was his own ball.” 

Bob shook his head. 

“I can see him now, judge, as plain as can be, 
when he said, ‘Don’t force me to do you a mischief ; 
we might both be sorry for it.’- But I pulled the 
trigger. His bullet is still in his rifle. 

“ When I saw him lie dead before me, I can’t tell 
you what I felt. It warn’t the first I had sent to his 
account; but yet I would have given all the purses 
and money in the world to have had him alive agin. 
I must have dragged him under the Patriarch, and 
dug a grave with my huntin’-knife, for I found him 
there afterward.” 

“You found him there?” repeated the judge. 

“Yes. I don’t know how he came there, t must 
have brought him, but I recollect nothin’ about it.” 

The judge had risen from his chair, and was 
walking up and down the room, apparently in deep 
thought. Suddenly he stopped short. 

“What have you done with his money?” 

“I took his purse, but buried his belt with him, as 
well as a flask of rum. and some bread and beef he 


166 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


had brought away from Johnny’s. I set out for San 
Felipe, and rode the whole day. lu the evenin’, 
when I looked about me, expectin’ to see the town, 
where do you think I was?” 

The judge and I stared at him. 

“ Under the Patriarch. The ghost of the murdered 
man had driven me there. I had no peace till I’d 
dug him up and buried him agin. Next day I set 
off in another direction. I was out of tobacco, and 
I started across the prairie to Anahuac. Lord, what 
a day I passed! Wherever I went, he stood before 
me. If I turned, he turned too. Sometimes he came 
behind me, and looked over my shoulder. I spurred 
my mustang till the blood came, hopin’ to get away 
from him, but it was all no use. I thought when I 
got to Anahuac I should be quit of him, and I gab 
loped on for life or death. But in the evenin’, instead 
of beiug close to the salt-works as I expected, there 
was I agin, under the Patriarch. I dug him up a 
second time, and sat and stared at him, and then 
buried him again.” 

“Queer that,” observed the judge. 

“Ay, very queer!” said Bob, mournfully. «But 
it’s all no use. Nothin’ does me any good. I shan’t 
be better — I shall never have peace till I’m hung.” 


LYNCH LAW. 


167 


Bob evidently felt relieved now; he had in a 
manner passed sentence on himself. Strange as it 
may appear, X had a similar feeling, and could not 
help nodding my head approvingly.- The judge alone 
preserved an unmoved countenance. . 

“Indeed!” said he: “indeed! You think you’ll 
be no better till you’re hung?” 

“ Yes,” answered Bob, with eager haste. “ Hung 
on the same tree under which he lies buried.” 

“Well, if you will have it so, we’ll see what can 
be done for you. We’ll call a jury of the neighbors 
together to-morrow.” 

“Thank ye, squire,” murmured Bob, visibly com 
forted by this promise. 

“We’ll summon a jury,” repeated the Alcalde, 
“and see what can be done for you. You’ll perhaps 
have changed your mind by that time.” 

I stared at him like one fallen from the clouds, but 
he did not seem to notice my surprise. 

“There is, perhaps, some other way to get rid of 
your life, if you are tired of it,” he continued. 
“We might hit upon one that would satisfy your 
conscience.” 

Bob shook his head. I involuntarily made the 


same movement. 


168 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


“At any rate, we’ll hear what the neighbors say,” 
added the judge. 

Bob stepped up to the judge, and held out his hand 
to bid him farewell. The other did not take it, and 
turning to me, said, “ You had better stop here, I 
think.” 

Bob turned round impetuously. 

“The gentleman must come with me.” 

“ Why must he?” said the judge. 

Ask himself.” 

I again explained the obligations I was under 
to Bob, how we had fallen in .with one another, 
and what care and attention he had shown me at 
Johnny’s. 

The judge nodded approvingly. “Nevertheless,” 
said he, “ you will remain here, and Bob go alone. 
You are in a state of mind, Bob, in which a man is 
better alone, d’ye see; and so leave the young man 
here. Another misfortune might happen; and, at 
any rate, he’s better here than at Johnny’s. Come 
back to-morrow, and we’ll see what can be done 
for you.” 

These words were spoken in a decided manner, 
which seemed to have its effect upon Bob. He 
nodded assentingly, and left the room. I remained 


LYNCH LAW. 


169 


staring at the judge, and lost in wonder at these 
strange proceedings. 

When Bob was gone, the Alcalde gave a blast on 
a shell, which supplied the place of a bell. Then 
seizing the cigar-box, he tried one cigar after another ? 
broke them peevishly up, and threw the pieces out 
ot the window. The negro, whom the bell had 
summoned, stood for some time waiting, while his 
master broke up the cigars and threw them away. 
At last the judge’s patience seemed quite to leave 
him. 

u Hark ye, Ptoly!” growled he to the frightened 
black, “ the next time you bring me cigars that 
neither draw nor smoke, I ’ll make your back smoke 
for it. Mind that now. There’s not a single one of 
them worth a rotten maize-stalk. Tell that old 
coffee-colored hag of Johnny’s, that I’ll have no 
more of her cigars. Ride over to Mr. Ducie’s and 
fetch a box. And d’ye hear? tell him I want to 
speak a word with him and the neighbors. Ask him 
to bring the neighbors with him to-morrow morning. 
And mind you ’re home again by two o’clock. Take 
the mustang we caught last week. I want to ser 
how he goes.” 

The negro listened to these various commands with 
8 


170 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


open mouth and staring eyes, then, giving a per¬ 
plexed look at his master, shot out of the room. 

' “Whither away, Ptoly?” shouted the Alcalde 
after him. 

“ To Massa Ducie.” 

“Without a pass, Ptoly ? And what are you going 
to say to Mr. Ducie ? ” 

“Him nebber send bad cigar again, him coffee- 
cullud hag. Massa speak to Johnny and neighbors. 
Johnny bring neighbors here.” 

“I thought as much,” said the judge, with perfect 
equanimity. “Wait a minute; I’ll write the pass, 
and a couple of lines for Mr. Ducie.” 

This was soon done, and the negro dispatched on 
his errand. The judge waited till he heard the sound 
of the horse’s feet galloping away, and then, laying 
hold of the box of despised cigars, lit the first which 
came to hand. It smoked capitally, as did also one 
that I took. They were Principes, and as good as I 
ever tasted. 

I passed the whole of that day alone with the 
judge, who, I soon found, knew various friends of 
mine in the States. I told him the circumstances 
under which I had come to Texas, and the intention 
I had of settling there, should I find the country to 


LYNCH LAW. 


171 


mj liking. During our long conversation, I was able 
to form a very different, and much more favorable, 
estimate of his character, than I had done from his 
interview with Bob. He was the very man to be 
useful to a new country; of great energy, sound 
judgment, enlarged and liberal views. He gave me 
some curious information as to the state of things in 
Texas; and did not think it necessary to conceal 
from me, as an American, and one who intended 
settling in the country, that there was a plan in 
agitation for throwing off the Mexican yoke, and 
declaring Texas an independent republic. The high- 
spirited, and, for the most part, intelligent emigrants 
from the United States, who formed a very large 
majority of the population of Texas, saw themselves, 
with no very patient feeling, under the rule of a 
people both morally and physically inferior to them-T 
selves. They looked with contempt, and justly so, 
on the bigoted, idle, and ignorant Mexicans, while^. 
the difference of religion, and the interference of the 
priests, served to increase the dislike between the 
Spanish and Anglo-American races. 

Although the project was not yet quite ripe for 
execution, it was discussed freely and openly by the 
American settlers. u It is the interest of every man 



172 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


to keep it secret,” said the judge; “ and there can 
be nothing to induce even the worst among us to 
betray a cause, by the success of which he is sure 
to profit. We have many bad characters in Texas, 
the offscourings of the United States — men like 
Bob, or far worse than he ; but debauched, gambling, 
drunken villains though they be, they are the men 
we want when it comes to a struggle ; and when that 
time arrives, they will all be found ready to put 
their shoulders to the wheel, use knife and rifle, and 
shed the last drop of their blood in defense of their 
fellow-citizens, and of the new and independent re¬ 
public of Texas. At this moment we must wink at 
many things which would be severely punished in an 
older and more settled country; each man’s arm is 
of immense value to the State; for on the day of 
battle we shall have, not two to one, but twenty to 
one opposed to us.”' 

I was awakened the following morning by the sound 
of a horse’s feet; and looking out of the window, 
saw Bob dismounting from his mustang. The last 
twenty-four hours had told fearfully upon him. His 
limbs seemed powerless, and he reeled and staggered 
in such a manner that I at first thought him intoxi¬ 
cated. But such was not the case. His was the 


LYNCH LAW. 


173 


deadly weariness caused by mental anguish. He 
looked like one just taken off the rack. 

Hastily putting on my clothes, I hurried down 
stairs and opened the house door. Bob stood with 
his head resting on his horse’s neck, and his hand 
crossed, shivering and groaning. When I spoke to 
him, he looked up, but did not seem to know me. I 
tied his horse to a post, and taking his hand, led him 
into the house. He followed like a child, apparently 
without the will or power to resist; and when I 
placed him a chair, he fell into it with a weight 
that made it crack under him, and shook the 
house. I could not get him to speak, and was about 
to return to my room to complete my toilet, when 
1 again heard the tramp of mustangs. This was 
a party of half-a-dozen horsemen, all dressed in 
hunting shirts over buckskin breeches and jackets, 
and armed with rifles and bowie-knives; stout, 
daring looking fellows, evidently from the south¬ 
western states, with the true Kentucky half-horse 
half-alligator profile, and the usual allowance of 
thunder, lightning, and earthquake. It struck me, 
when I saw them, that two or three thousand such 
men would have small difficulty in dealing with a , 
whole army of Mexicans, if the latter' were all of the 


174 


ADV i- NT UK ES IN TEXAS. 


'-V 

x pigmy, spindle-shanked breed I had seen on first 
landing. These giants could easily have walked 
away with a Mexican in each hand. 

They jumped off their horses, and threw the bridles 
to the negroes in the usual Kentuckian devil-may-care 
style, and then walked into the house with the air 
of people who make themselves at home everywhere, 
and who know themselves to be more masters in 
Texas than the Mexicans themselves. On entering 
the parlor, they nodded a “good-morning” to me, 
rather coldly to be sure, for they had seen me talking 
with Bob, which probably did not much recommend 
me. Presently, four more horsemen rode up, and 
then a third party, so that there were now fourteen 
of them assembled, all decided-looking men, in the 
prime of life and strength. The judge, who slept 
in an adjoining room, had been awakened by the 
noise. I heard him jump out of bed, and not three 
minutes elapsed before he entered the parlor. 

After he had shaken hands with all his visitors, he 
presented me to them, and I found that I was in the 
presence of no less important persons than the Ayun- 
tamiento of San Felipe de Austin; and that two of 
my worthy countrymen were corregidors, one a 
procurador, anil the others buenos hombres , or 


LYNOH LAW. 


175 


freeholders. They did not seem, however, to prize 
their titles much, for they addressed one another by 
their surnames only. 

The negro brought a light, opened the cigar-box, 
and arranged the chairs; the judge pointed to the 
sideboard and to the cigars, and then sat down. 
Some took a dram, others lit a cigar. 

Several minutes elapsed, during which the men 
sat in perfect silence, as if they were collecting their 
thoughts, or as though it was undignified to show 
any haste or impatience to speak. This grave 6ort 
of deliberation, which is met with among certain 
classes, and in certain provinces of the Union, has 
often struck me as a curious feature of our national 
character. It partakes of the stoical dignity of the 
Indian at his council fire, and the stern religious 
gravity of the early Puritan settlers in America. 

During this pause Bob was writhing on his chair 
like a worm, his face concealed by his hands, his 
elbows on his knees. At last, when all had drunk 
and smoked, the judge laid down his cigar. 

“ Men! ” said he. 

“ Squire! ” answered they. 

4 ‘We’ve a business before us, which I calculate will 
be best explained by him whom it concerns.” 


376 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


The men looked at the Squire, then at Bob, then 
at me. 

“Bob Kock! or whatever your name may be, 
if you have aught to say, say it!” continued the 
judge. 

“Said it all yesterday,” muttered Bob, his face still 
covered by his hands. 

“Yes, but* you must say it again to-day. Yester¬ 
day was Sunday, and Sunday is a day of rest, and 
not of business. I will neither judge you, nor allow 
you to be judged, by what you said yesterday. 
Besides, it was all between ourselves, for I don’t 
reckon Mr. Morse as any thing ; I count him still as 
a stranger. 

“What’s the use of so much palaver, when the 
thing’s plain enough?” said Bob peevishly, raising 
his head as he spoke. 

The men stared at him in grave astonishment. He 
was really frightful to behold ; his face of a sort of 
blue tint; his cheeks hollow; his beard wild and 
ragged ; his l^lood-shot eyes rolling and deep sunk in 
their sockets. His appearance was scarcely human. 

“I tell you again,” said the judge, “I will condemn 
no man upon his one word alone; much less you, 
who have been in my service, and eaten of my bread. 


LY.NCH LAW. 


177 


You accurtt d yourself yesterday, but you were de¬ 
lirious at the time — you had the fever upon you ’* 

% 

“It’s no use, Squire,” said Bob, apparently touched 
by the kindness of the judge. “You mean well, 1 
see; but though you might deliver me out of men’s 
hands, you could n’t rescue me from myself. It ’s no 
use—I must be hung—hung on the same tree under 
which the man I killed lies buried.” 

The men, or the jurors, as I may call them, looked 
at one another, but said nothing. 

“It’s no use,” again cried Bob, in a shrill, agonizing 
tone. “If he had attacked me, or only threatened 
me; but no, he did n’t do it. I hear his words still, 
when he said, ‘do it not man! I’ve a wife and child. 
What you intend brings no blessin’ on the doer.’ 
But I heard nothin’ then except the voice of the 
devil ; I brought the rifle down—leveled—fired—” 

The man’s agony was so intense that even the iron- 
featured jury seemed moved by it. They cast sharp 
but stolen glances at Bob. There was a short silence. 

“So you have killed a man?” said a deep bass 
voice at last. 

“ Ay, that have I! ” gasped Bob. 

“And how came that?” continued his questioner. 

“How it came? You must ask the devil, or 
8 * 


178 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


Johnny. No, not Johnny, he can tell you nothing, 
he was not there. No one can tell you but me; and 
I hardly know how it was. The man was at Johnny’s, 
and Johnny showed me his belt full of money.” 

“Johnny!” exclaimed several of the jury. 

“Ay, Johnny! He reckoned on winning it from 
him, but the man was too cautious for that; and when 
Johnny had plucked all my feathers, won my twenty 
dollars fifty-” 

“Twenty dollars fifty cents,” interposed the judge, 
“ which I paid him for catching mustangs and shoot¬ 
ing game.” 

The men nodded. 

“And then, because he wouldn’t play, you shot 
him ? ” asked the same deep-toned voice as before. 

“No—some hours after—by the Jacinto, near 
the Patriarch—met him down there and killed 
him.” 

“Thought there was something out o’ the common 
thereaway,” said one of the jury ; “for as we rode by 
the tree a whole nation of kites and turkey buzzards 
flew out. Didn’t they, Mr. Heart?” 

Mr. Heart nodded. 

“Met him by the river, and wanted halves of his 
money,” continued Bob, mechanically. “ He 6aid 


LYNCH LAW. 


179 


he’d give me something to buy a quid, and more 
than enough for that, but not halves. ‘I’ve wife and 
child,’ said he-” 

“And you?” asked the juror with the deep voice, 
which, at this time, had a hollow sound in it. 

“Shot him down,” said Bob, with a wild, hoarse 
laugh. 

There was a dead silence of some duration. The 
jury sat with eyes fixed upon the ground. 

“And yvho was the man?” said a juror at last. 

“Didn’t ask him; and it wam’t written in his 
face. He was from the States; but whether a 
hosier, or a buckeye, or a mudhead, is more than I 
can say.” 

“The thing must be investigated, Alcalde,” said 
another of the jury, after a second pause. 

“It must so,” answered the Alcalde. 

“What’s the good of so much investigation?” 
grumbled Bob. 

“What good?” repeated Alcalde. “Because we 
owe it to ourselves, to the dead man, and to you, not 
to sentence you without having held an inquest on 
the body. There ’s another thing which I must call 
your attention to,” continued he, turning to the jury ; 
“the man is half out of his mind—not coinpos 


180 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


mentis , as they say. He ’s got the fever, and had it 
when he did the deed; he was urged on by Johnny, 
and maddened by his losses at play. In spite of his 
wild excitement, however, he saved that gentleman’s 
life yonder, Mr. Edward Nathaniel Morse.” 

“Did he so?” said one of the jury. 

“That did he,” replied I, “not only by saving me 
from drowning when my horse dragged me, half-dead 
and helpless, into the river, but also by the care and 
attention he forced Johnny and his mulatto to bestow 
upon me. Without him I should not be alive at 
this moment.” 

Bob gave me a look which went'to my heart. The 
tears were standing in his eyes. The jury heard me 
in deep silence. 

“It seems that Johnny led you on and excited 
you to this?” said one of the jurors. 

“I didn’t say that. I only said that he pointed 

to the man’s money-bag, and said-But what is 

it to you what Johnny said? I’m the man who 
did it. I speak for myself, and I’ll be hanged for 
myself.” 

“All very good, Bob,” interposed the Alcalde; “but 
we can’t hang you without being sure you deserve 
it. What do you say to it, Mr. Whyte? You’re the 


LYNCH LAW. 


181 


procurador —and you, Mr. Heart and Mr. Stone? 
Help yourselves to rum or brandy; and, Mr. Bright 
and Irwin, take another cigar. They’re considerable 
tolerable the cigars—ain’t they? That’s brandy, 
Mr. Whyte, in the diamond bottle.” 

Mr. Whyte had got up to give his opinion, as I 
thought; but I was mistaken. He stepped to the 
sideboard, took up a bottle in one hand and a glass 
in the other, every movement being performed with 
the greatest deliberation. 

“Well, Squire,” said he, “or rather Alcalde—” 

After the word “ Alcalde,” he filled the glass half 
full of rum. 

“If it’s as we’ve heard,” added he, pouring about 
a spoonful of water on the rum, “and Bob has killed 
the man”—he continued, throwing in some lumps 
of sugar—“murdered him” — he went on, crushing 
the sugar with a wooden stamp—“I rather cal- 
kilate”—here he raised the glass—“Bob ought to 
be hung,” he concluded, putting the tumbler to his 
mouth and emptying it. 

The jurors nodded in silence. Bob drew a deep 
breath, as if a load were taken off his breast. 

“Well,” said the judge, who did not look over 
well pleased, “if you think so, and Bob is agreed, 1 


182 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


calculate we must do as he wishes. I tell you. 
though, I don’t do it willingly. At any rate, we 
must find the dead man first, and examine Johnny. 
We owe that to ourselves and to Bob.” 

“Certainly,” said the jury with one voice. 

“You are a dreadful murderer, Bob, a very con¬ 
siderable one,” continued the judge; “but I tell you 
to your face, and not to flatter you, there is more 
good in your little finger than in Johnny’s whole 
hide. And I’m sorry for you, because, at the bot¬ 
tom, you are not a bad man, though you’ve been 
led away by bad company and example. I calculate 
you might still be reformed, and made very useful — 
more so, perhaps, than you think. Your rifle’s a 
capital good one.” 

At these last words the men all looked up, and 
threw a keen, inquiring glance at Bob. 

“You might be of great service,” continued the 
judge encouragingly, “to the country and to your 
fellow-citizens. You’re worth a dozen Mexicans any 
day.” 

While the judge spoke, Bob l^t his head fall on 
his breast, and seemed reflecting. He now looked up. 

“1 understand, Squire; I see what you’re drivin’ 
at. But I can’t do it—I can’t wait so long. My 


LYNCH LAW. 


183 


life’s a burden and a sufferin’ to me. Wherever I 
go, by day or by night, he’s always there, standin’ 
before me, and drivin’ me under the Patriarch.” 

There was a pause of some duration. The judge 
resumed. 

“ So be it then,” said he with a sort of suppressed 
sigh. We’ll see the body to-day, Bob, and you may 
come to-morrow at ten o’clock.” 

“ Could n’t it be sooner?” asked Bob impatiently. 

“Why sooner? Are you in such a hurry?” asked 
Mr. Heart. 

“What’s the use of palaverin’?” said Bob sulkily. 
“I told you already I’m sick of my life. If you 
don’t come till ten o’clock, by the time you’ve 
had your talk out, and ridden to the Patriarch, the 
fever ’ll be upon me.” 

“But we can’t be flying about like a parcel of wild 
geese, because of your fever,” said the procurador 

“ Certainly not,” said Bob humbly. 

“It’s an ugly customer the fever, though, Mr. 
Whyte,” observed Mr. Trace; “and I calculate we 
ought to do him that pleasure. What do you think, 
Squire?” 

“I reckon he’s rather indiscreet in his askin’s,” 
said the judge, in a tone of vexation. “However, 


184 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


as he wishes it, and if it is agreeable to you,” added 
he, turning to the Ayuntamiento; “and as it’s you, 
Bob, I calculate we must do what you ask.” 

“Thankee,” said Bob. 

“ Nothing to thank for,” growled the judge; “ and 
now go into the kitchen and get a good meal of roast 
beef, d’ye hear?” He knocked upon the table. 
“Some good roast beef for Bob,” said' he to a negress 
who entered; “and see that He eats it. And get 
yourself dressed more decently, Bob—like a white 
man and a Christiap, not like a wild redskin.” 

The negress and Bob left the room. The conver¬ 
sation now turned upon Johnny, who appeared, from 
all accounts, to be a very bad and dangerous fellow; 
and after a short discussion, they agreed to lynch 
him, in backwoodsman’s phrase, just as coolly as if 
they had been talking of catching a mustang. When 
the men had come to this satisfactory conclusion, 
they got up, drank the judge’s health and mine, 
shook us by the hand, and left the room and the 
house. 

The day passed more heavily than the preceding 
one. I was too engrossed with the strange scene I 
had witnessed to talk much. The judge, too, was in 
a very bad humor. He was vexed that a man should 


LYNCH LAW. 


185 


be hung who might render the country much good 
service if he remained alive. That Johnny, the 
miserable, cowardly, treacherous Johnny, should be 
sent out of the world as quickly as possible, was 
perfectly correct, but with Bob it was very different. 
In vain did I remind him of the crime of which 
Bob had been guilty — of the outraged laws of God 
and man—and of the atonement due. It was of no 
use. If Bob had sinned against society, he could j 
repair his fault much better by remaining alive than; 
by being hung; and as to any thing else, God would j 
avenge it in his own time. We parted for the night, 
neither of us convinced by each other’s arguments. 

We were sitting at breakfast the next morning, 
when a man, dressed in black, rode up to the door. 
It was Bob, but so metamorphosed that I scarcely 
knew him. Instead of the torn and bloodstained 
handkerchief round his head, he wore a hat; instead 
of the leathern jacket, a decent cloth coat. He had 
shaved off his beard too, and looked quite another man. 
His manner had altered with his dress; he seemed 
tranquil and resigned. With a mild, submissive look, 
he held out his hand to the judge, who shook it 
heartily. 

“ Ah, Bob! ” said he, “ if you had only listened to 


186 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


what I so often told you! I had those clothes brought 
on purpose from New Orleans, that, on Sundays at 
least, you might look like a decent man. How often 
have I asked you to put them on, and come with us 
to meeting, to hear Mr. Bliss preach? There is some 
truth in the saying, that the coat makes the man. 
With his Sunday coat, a man often puts on other and 
better thoughts. If that had been your case only 
fifty-two times in the year, you’d have learned to 
avoid Johnny before now.” 

Bob said nothing. 

“ Well, well! I Ve done all I could to make a better 
man of you—all that was in my power.” 

“That you have,” answered Bob, much moved. 
u God reward you for it! ” 

I could not help holding out my hand to the worthy 
judge; and as I did so, I thought I saw a moisture 
in his eye, which he suppressed, however, and, turn¬ 
ing to the breakfast table, bade us sit down. Bob 
thanked him humbly, but declined, saying that he 
wished to appear fasting before his offended Creator. 
The judge insisted, and reasoned with him, and at 
last he took a chair. 

Before we had done breakfast, our friends of the 
preceding day began to drop in, and some of them 


LYNCH LAW. 


187 


joined us at the meal. When they had all taken 
what they chose, the judge ordered the negroes 
to clear away, and leave the room. This done, he 
seated himself at the upper end of the table, 
with the Ayuntamiento on either side, and Bob facing 
him. 

“Mr. Whyte,” said the Alcalde, “have you, as 
procurador, any thing to state ? ” 

“Yes, Alcalde,” replied the procurador. “In virtue 
of my office, 1 made a search in the place mentioned 
by Bob Bock, and there found the body of a man 
who had met his death by a gunshot wound. I also 
found a belt full of money, and several letters of 
recommendation to different planters, from which it 
appears that the man was on his way from Illinois to 
San Felipe, to buy land of Colonel Austin, and settle 
in Texas.” 

The procurador then produced a pair of saddle¬ 
bags, out of which he took a leathern belt stuffed 
with money, which he laid on the table, together 
with the letters. The judge opened the belt, and 
counted the money. It amounted to upward of five 
hundred dollars in gold and silver. The procurador 
then read the letters. 

One of the corregidors now announced that Johnny 


188 


ADVENTUKES IN TEXAS. 


and his mulatto had left their house and fled. He, 
the corregidor, had sent the people in pursuit of 
them, but as yet there were no tidings of their 
capture. This piece of intelligence seemed to vex 
the judge greatly, but he made no remark on it at 
the time. 

“BobRock!” cried he. 

Bob stepped forward. 

“Bob Rock, or by whatever other name you may 
be known, are you guilty or not guilty of this man’s 
death!” 

“ Guilty ! ” replied Bob, in a low tone. 

“Gentlemen of the jury, will you be pleased to give 
your verdict ? ” 

The jury left the room. In ten minutes they 
returned. 

“ Guilty! ” said the foreman. 

“Bob Rock,” said the judge solemnly, “your 
fellow-citizens have found you guilty ; and I pro¬ 
nounce the sentence — that you be hung by the 
neck until you are dead. The Lord be merciful to 
your soul! ” 

“Amen !” said all present. 

“Thank ye,” murmured Bob. 

“We will seal up the property of the deceased,” 


189 


. LYNCH LAW. 

V 

said the judge, “and then proceed to oar painful 
duty.” 

He called for a light, and he and the procurador 
and corregidors sealed up the papers and money. 

“ Has any one aught to alledge why the sentence 
should not be put into execution ? ” said the Alcalde, 
with a glance at me. 

“He saved my life, judge and fellow-citizens?” 
cried I, deeply moved. 

Bob shook his head mournfully. 

“ Let us go, then, in God’s name,” said the judge. 

Without another word being spoken, we left the 
house and mounted our horses. The judge had 
brought a Bible with him ; and he rode on a little in 
front, with Bob, doing his best to prepare him for the 
eternity to which he was hastening. Bob listened 
attentively for some time; but at last he seemed to 
get impatient, and pushed his mustang into so fast a 
trot, that for a moment we suspected him of wishing 
to escape the doom he had so eagerly sought. But 
it was only that he feared the fever might return 
before the expiration of the short time he yet had 
to live. 

After an hour’s ride, we came to the enormous live 
oak distinguished as the Patriarch. Two or three 


190 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


of the men dismounted, and held aside the heavy 
moss-covered branches, which swept the ground and 
formed a complete curtain round the tree. The party 
rode through the opening thus made, and drew up in 
a circle beneath the huge leafy dome. In the center 
of this ring stood Bob, trembling like an aspen leaf, 
his eyes fixed on a small mound of fresh earth, 
partly concealed by the branches, and which had 
escaped my notice on my former visit to the tree. It 
was the grave of the murdered man. 

A magnificent burial place was that: no poet 
could have dreamed or desired a better. Above, 
the huge vault, with its natural frettings and arches; 
below, the greenest, freshest grass ; around, an eter¬ 
nal half light, streaked and varied, and radiant as a 
rainbow. It was imposingly beautiful. 

Bob, the judge, and the corregidors, remained sit¬ 
ting on their horses, but several of the other men 
dismounted. One of the latter cut the lasso from 
Bob’s saddle, and threw an end of it over one of the 
lowermost branches; then uniting the two ends, 
formed them into a strong noose, which he left 
dangling from the bough. This simple preparation 
completed, the Alcalde took off his hat and folded 
his hands. The others followed his example. 


LYNCH LAW. 


191 


“Bob!” said the judge to the unfortunate criminal, 
whose head was bowed on his horse’s mane; “ Bob ! 
we will pray for your poor soul, which is about to 
part from your sinful body.” 

Bob raised his head. “I had something to say,” 
exclaimed he, in a wandering and husky tone 
“Something I wanted to say.” 

“What have you to say?” 

Bob stared around him; his lips moved, but no 
word escaped him. His spirit was evidently no 
longer with things of this earth. 

“Bob!” said the judge again, “we will pray for 
your soul.” 

“Pray! pray!” gioaned he. “I shall need it.” ,. v 

In slow and solemn accents, and with great feeling, 
the judge uttered the Lord’s Prayer. Bob repeated - 
every word after him. When it was ended—“May 
God be merciful to his soul! ” exclaimed the judge. 

“Amen !” said all present. 

One of the corregidors now passed the noose of 
the lasso round Bob’s neck, another bound his eyes, 
a third person drew his feet out of the stirrups, while 
a fourth stepped behind his horse with a heavy 
riding-whip. All was done in the deepest silence; 
not a word was breathed, nor a foot-fall heard on the 


192 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


soft, yielding turf. There was something awful and 
oppressive in the profound stillness that reigned in 
the vast inclosure. 

The whip fell. The horse gave a spring forward. 
At the same moment Bob made a desperate clutch at 
the bridle, and a loud “Hold!” burst in thrilling 
tones from the lips of the judge. 

It was too late; Bob was already hanging. The 
judge pushed forward, nearly riding down the man 
who held the whip, and seizing Bob in his arms, 
raised him on his own horse, supporting him with one 
hand, while with the other he strove to unfasten the 
noose. His whole gigantic frame trembled with 
eagerness and exertion. The procurador, corregi- 
dors—all, in short, stood in open-mouthed wonder at 
this strange proceeding. 

“ Whisky ! whisky ! Has nobody any whisky ! ” 
shouted the judge. 

One of the men sprang forward with a whisky- 
flask, another supported the body, and a third the 
feet of the half-hanged man, while the judge poured 
a few drops of spirits into his mouth. The cravat, 
which had not been taken off, had hindered the 
breaking of the neck. Bob at last opened his eyes, 
and gazed vacantly around him. 


LYNCH LAW. 


193 


“Bob,” said the judge, “you had something to say, 
had n’t you, about Johnny?” 

“Johnny,” gasped Bob, “Johnny.” 

“What ’s become of him?” 

“He’s gone to San Antonio, Johnny.” 

“To San Antonio!” repeated the judge, with an 
expression of great alarm overspreading his features. 

“To San Antonio—to Padre Jose,” continued 
Bob ; “a Catholic. Beware!” 

“A traitor, then!” muttered several. 

“ Catholic ! ” exclaimed the judge. The words he 
had heard seemed to deprive him of all strength. 
His arms fell slowly and gradually by his side, and 
Bob was again hanging from the lasso. 

“ A Catholic! a traitor! repeated several of the 
men; “ a citizen and a traitor! ” 

“So it is men! ” exclaimed the judge. “We’ve no 
time to lose,” continued he, in a harsh, hurried voice; 
“no time to lose ; we must catch him.” 

“That must we,” said several, “or our plans are 
betrayed to the Mexicans.” 

“After him immediately to San Antonio!” cried 
the judge, with the same desperately hurried manner. 

“To San Antonio!” repeated the men, pushing 
their way through the curtain of moss and branches. 
9 


194 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


As soon as they were outside, those who were dis¬ 
mounted sprang into the saddle, and, without another 
word, the whole party galloped away in the direction 
of San Antonio. 

The judge alone remained, seemingly lost in 
thought; his countenance pale and anxious, and his 
eyes following the riders. His reverie, however, had 
lasted but a very few seconds, when he seized my 
arm. 

“Hasten to my house!” cried he; “lose no time; 
don’t spare horse-flesh. Take Ptoly and a fresh 
beast; hurry over to San Felipe, and tell Stephen 
Austin what has happened, and what you have seen 
and heard.” 

“But, judge-” 

“Off with you at once, if you would serve and 
save Texas. Bring my wife and daughter back.” 

And so saying, he literally drove me from under 
the tree, pushing me out with both hands. I was so 
startled at the expression of violent impatience and 
anxiety which his features assumed, that, without 
venturing to make farther objection, I struck the 
spurs into my mustang and galloped off. 

Before I had got fifty yards from the tree, I looked 
round : the judge was nowhere to be seen. 


LYNCH LAW. 


195 


I rode full speed to the judge’s house, and thence 
on a fresh horse to San Felipe, where I found Colonel 
Austin, who seemed much alarmed by the news I 
brought him, had horses saddled, and sent round to 
all the neighbors. Before the wife and step-daughter 
of the judge had made their preparations to accom¬ 
pany me home, he and fifty armed men rode off in 
the direction of San Antonio. 

I escorted the ladies to their house, but scarcely 
had we arrived there, when I was seized with a fever, 
the result of my recent fatigues and sufferings. For 
some days my life was in danger, but a good consti¬ 
tution, and the kindest and most watchful nursing, 
triumphed over the disease. As soon as I was able 
to mount a horse, I set out for Mr. Neal’s plantation, 
in company with his huntsman Anthony, who, after 
spending many days, and riding over hundreds of 
miles of ground in quest of me, had at last found 
me out. 

Our way led past the Patriarch; and, as we ap¬ 
proached it, we saw innumerable birds of prey and 
carrion-crows circling round it, croaking and scream¬ 
ing. I turned my eyes in another direction; but, 
nevertheless, I felt a strange sort of longing to revisit 
the tree. Anthony had ridden on, and was already 


196 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


hidden from view behind its branches. Presently I 
heard him give a loud shout of exultation. I jumped 
off my horse, and led it through a small opening in 
the leafage. 

Some forty paces from me, the body of a man was 
hanging by a lasso from the very same branch on 
which Bob had been hung. It was not Bob, however, 
for the corpse was much too short and small for him. 

I drew nearer. “ Johnny!” I exclaimed. “ That ’s 
Johnny!” 

“It was” answered Anthony. “Thank Heaven, 
there ’s an end of him! ” 

I shuddered. “But where is Bob?” 

“Bob?” cried Anthony. “Bob!” 

I glanced at the grave. The mound of earth 
seemed larger and higher than when I had last seen 
it. Doubtless the murderer lay beside his victim. 

“Shall we not render the last service to this wretch, 
Anthony?” asked I. 

“The scoundrel!” answered the huntsman. “I 
won’t dirty my hands with him. Let him poison 
the kites and the crows!” 


« 


We rode on. 


CHAPTER III. 


TWENTY TO ONE. 

I had been but three or four months in Texas, 
when, in consequence of the oppressive conduct of 
the Mexican military authorities, symptoms of dis¬ 
content showed themselves, and several skirmishes 
occurred between the American settlers and the 
soldiery. The two small forts of Yelasco and Nacog¬ 
doches were taken by the former, and their garrisons 
and a couple of field-officers made prisoners; soon 
after which, however, the quarrel was made up by 
the intervention of Colonel Austin on the part of j 
Texas, and Colonel Mejia on the part of the Mexican 
authorities. 

But in the year ’33, occurred Santa Anna’s defec- - 
tion from the liberal party, and the imprisonment 
of Stephen F. Austin, the Texan representative in 
the Mexican congress, by the vice-president, Gomez 
Farias. This was followed by Texas adopting the 


198 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


constitution of 1824, and declaring itself an indepen¬ 
dent state of the Mexican republic. Finally, toward 
Jthe close of 1835, Texas threw off the Mexican yoke 
altogether, voted itself a free and sovereign republic, 
and prepared to defend by arms, its newly asserted 
liberty. 

The first step to be taken was, to secure our 
communications with the United States by getting 
possession of the sea-ports. General Cos had occu¬ 
pied Galveston harbor, and built and garrisoned a 
block-fort, nominally for the purpose of enforcing 
the custom laws, but in reality with a view to cut 
off our communications with New Orleans and the 
States. This fort it was necessary to get posses¬ 
sion of, and my friend Fanning and myself were ap¬ 
pointed to that duty by the Alcalde, who had taken 
a prominent part in all that had occurred. 

Our whole force and equipment wherewith to 
accomplish this enterprise consisted in a sealed 
dispatch, to be opened at the town of Columbia, and 
a half-breed, named Agostino, who acted as our 
guide. On reaching Columbia, we called together 
the principal inhabitants of the place, and of the 
neighboring towns of Bolivar and Marion, unsealed 
the letter in their presence, and six hours afterward 


TWENTY TO ONE. 


199 


the forces therein specified were assembled, and we 
were on our march toward Galveston. The next 
day the fort was taken, and the garrison made 
prisoners, without our losing a single man. — 

We sent oft* our guide to the government at San 
Felipe with the news of our success. In nine days 
he returned, bringing us the thanks of congress and 
fresh orders. We were to leave a garrison in the 
fort, and then ascend Trinity River, and march 
toward San Antonio de Bexar. This route was all 
the more agreeable to Fanning and myself, as it 
would bring us into the immediate vicinity of the 
haciendas , or estates, of which we had some time 
previously obtained a grant from the Texan govern¬ 
ment ; and we did not doubt that we were indebted 
to our friend the Alcalde for the orders which thus 
conciliated our private convenience with our public 
duty. 

As we marched along, we found the whole country 
in commotion, the settlers all arming, and hastening 
to the distant place of rendezvous. We arrived at 
Trinity River one afternoon, and immediately sent 
messengers for forty miles in all directions to sum¬ 
mon the inhabitants. At the period in question, 
the plantations in that part of the country were 


200 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


very few and far between, but, nevertheless, by the 
afternoon of the next day, we had got together four- 
and-thirty men, mounted on mustangs, each equipped 
with rifle and bowie-knife, powder-horn and bullet-bag, 
and furnished with provisions for several days. With 
these we started for San Antonio de Bexar, a march 
of two hundred and fifty miles, through trackless 
prairies intersected with rivers and streams, which, 
although not quite so big as the Mississippi or Poto¬ 
mac, were yet deep and wide enough to offer serious 
impediment to regular armies. But to Texan farm¬ 
ers and backwoodsmen they were trifling obstacles. 
Those we could not wade through we swam across; 
and in due time, and without any incident worthy 
of note, reached the appointed place of rendezvous, 
which was on the river Salado, about fifteen miles 
from San Antonio, the principal city of the province. 
This latter place it was intended to attack—an enter¬ 
prise of some boldness and risk, considering that 
the town was protected by a strong fort, amply 
provided with heavy artillery, and had a garrison 
of nearly three thousand men, most of whose offi¬ 
cers had distinguished themselves in the revolution¬ 
ary wars against the Spaniards. Our whole army, 
which we found encamped on the Salado, under the 


TWENTY TO ONE. 


201 


command of General Austin, did not exceed eight 
hundred men. 

The day after that on which Fanning and myself, 
with our four-and-thirty recruits, reached head-quar¬ 
ters, a council of war was held, and it was resolved 
to advance as far as the mission of Santa Espada. 
The advanced guard was to push forward immedi¬ 
ately ; the main body would follow the next day. 
Fanning and myself were appointed to the command 
of the vanguard, in conjunction with Mr. Wharton, 
a wealthy planter, who had brought a strong party 
of volunteers with him, and whose mature age and 
cool judgment, it was thought, would counterbalance 
any excess of youthful heat and impetuosity on our 
part. Selecting ninety-two men out of the eight 
hundred, who, to a man, volunteered to accompany 
us, we set out for the mission. 

These missions are a sort of picket-houses or out¬ 
posts of the Catholic Church, and are found in great 
numbers in all the frontier provinces of Spanish 
America, especially in Texas, Santa Fe, and Cohahu- 
ila. They are usually of sufficient strength to afford 
their inmates security against any predatory party 
of Indians or other marauders, and are occupied by 

priests, who, while using their endeavors to spread 
9 * 


202 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


the doctrines of the Church of Home, act also as 
spies and agents of the Mexican government. 

On reaching Santa Espada we held a discussion 
as to the propriety of remaining there until the 
general came up, or of advancing at once toward 
the river. Wharton inclined to the former plan, and 
it was certainly the most prudent, for the mission 
was a strong building, surrounded by a high wall, 
and might have been held against very superior 
numbers. Fanning and I, however, did not like the 
idea of being cooped up in a house, and at last 
Wharton yielded. We left our horses and mustangs 
in charge of eight men, and with the remainder set 
out in the direction of the Salado, which flows from 
north to south, a third of a mile to the westward of 
the mission. About half-way between the latter and 
the river was a small group, or island, of muskeet 
trees, the only object that broke the uniformity of 
the prairie. The bank of the river on our side was 
tolerably steep, about eight or ten feet high, hol¬ 
lowed out here and there, and covered with a thick 
network of wild vines. The Salado at this spot 
describes a sort of bower-shaped curve, with a ford 
at either end, by which alone the river can be passed ; 
for although not very broad, it is rapid and deep. 



TWENTY TO ONE- 


203 


We resolved to take up a position within this bow, 
calculating that we might manage to defend the two 
fords, whicli were not above a quarter of a mile apart. 

At the same time we did not lose sight of the dan¬ 
gers of such a position, and of the almost certainty 
that, if the enemy managed to cross the river, we 
should be surrounded and cut off. But our success 
on the few occasions on which we had hitherto come 
to blows with the Mexicans, at Yelasco, Nacogdoches, 
and Galveston, had inspired us with so much con¬ 
fidence that we considered ourselves a match for 
thousands of such foes, and actually began to wish 
the enemy would attack us before our main body 
came up. We reconnoitered the ground, stationed a 
picket of twelve men at each ford, and an equal 
number in the island of muskeet trees, and established 
ourselves with the remainder among the vines and 
in the hollows on the river bank. 

The commissariat department of the Texan army 
was, as may be supposed, not yet placed upon any 
very regular footing. In fact, ev§ry man was, for 
the present, his own commissary-general. Finding 
our stock of provisions very small, we sent out a 
party of foragers, who soon returned with three sheep, 
which they had taken from a rancho , within a mile 


204 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


of San Antonio. An old priest, whom they found 
there, had threatened them with the anger of Heaven 
and of General Cos; but they paid little attention 
to his denunciations, and, throwing down three dol¬ 
lars, walked off with the sheep. The priest was 
furious, got upon his mule, and trotted away in the 
direction of the city to complain to General Cos of 
the misconduct of the heretics. 

After this we made no doubt that we should soon 
have a visit from the Dons. Nevertheless, the evening 
and the night passed away without incident. Day 
broke—still no signs of the Mexicans. This treach 
erous calm, we thought, might forbode a storm, and 
we did not allow it to lull us into security. We let 
the men get their breakfast, which they had hardly 
finished when the picket from the upper ford came 
in with the news that a strong body of cavalry was 
approaching the river, and that their vanguard was 
already in the hollow way leading to the ford. We 
had scarcely received this intelligence when we heard 
the blare of the trumpets, and the next moment we 
saw the officers push their horses up the declivitous 
bank, closely followed by their men, whom they 
formed up in the prairie. We counted six small 
squadrons, about three hundred men in all. They 


TWENTY TO ONE. 


205 


were the Durango dragoons — smart troops enough 
to all appearance, capitally mounted and equipped, 
and armed with carbines and sabers. 

Although the enemy had doubtless reconnoitered 
us from the opposite shore, and ascertained our posi 
tion, he could not form any accurate idea of our 
numbers, for, with a view to deceive him, we kept 
the men in constant motion, sometimes showing a 
part of them on the prairie, then causing them to 
disappear again behind the vines and bushes. This 
was all very knowing for young soldiers as we were; 
but, on the other hand, we had committed a grievous 
error, and sinned against all established military 
rules, by not placing a picket on the farther side of 
the river, to warn us of the approach of the enemy, 
and the direction in which he was coming. There 
can be little doubt that, if we had had earlier notice 
of their approach, thirty or forty good marksmen— 
and all our people were that—might not only have 
delayed the advance of the Mexicans, but perhaps 
even totally disgusted them of their attempt to cross 
the Salado. The hollow way on the other side of the 
river, leading to the ford, was narrow and tolerably 
steep, and the bank at least six times as high as on 
our side. Nothing would have been easier than to 


206 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


have so stationed a party as to pick off the cavalry 
while winding through this sort of pass, and emerg¬ 
ing two by two upon the shore. Our error, however, 
did not strike us till it was too late to repair it; so we 
were fain to console ourselves with the reflection that 
the Mexicans would be much more likely to attribute 
our negligence to an excess of confidence in our 
resources, than to inexperience in military matters, 
which was its real cause. We resolved to do our 
best to merit the good opinion which we thus sup¬ 
posed them to entertain of us. 

When the whole of the dragoons had crossed the 
water, they marched on for a short distance in an 
easterly direction; then, wheeling to the right, pro¬ 
ceeded southward, until within some five hundred 
paces of us, where they halted. In this position, the 
line of cavalry formed the chord of the arc described 
by the river and occupied by us. 

As soon as they halted, they opened their fire, 
although they could not see one of us, for we were 
completely sheltered by the bank. Our Mexican 
heroes, however, did not think it necessary to be 
within sight or range of their opponents before firing, 
for they gave us a rattling volley at a distance which 
no carbine would carry. This done, others galloped 


TWENTY TO ONE. 


207 


on for about a hundred yards, halted again, loaded, 
fired another volley, and then giving another volley, 
fired again. They continued this work till they 
found themselves within two hundred and fifty paces 
of us, and then appeared inclined to take a little 
time for reflection. 

We kept ourselves perfectly still. The dragoons 
evidently did not like the aspect of matters. Our 
remaining concealed, and not replying to their fire, 
bothered them. We saw the officers taking a deal of 
pains to encourage their men, and at last two squad¬ 
rons advanced, the others following more slowly, a 
short distance in the rear. This was the moment we 
had waited for. No sooner had the dragoons got 
into a canter, than six of our men, who had received 
orders to that effect, sprang up the bank, took steady 
aim at the officers, fired, and then jumped down 
again. 

As we expected, the small numbers that had shown 
themselves encouraged the Mexicans to advance. 
They at first seemed taken rather aback by the fall 
of four of their officers; but nevertheless, after a 
moment’s hesitation, they came thundering along 
full speed. They were within sixty or seventy yards 
of us, when Fanning and thirty of our riflemen 




208 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


ascended the bank, and with a coolness and precision 
that would have done credit to the most veteran 
troops, poured a steady fire into the ranks of the 
dragoons. 

It requires some nerve and courage for men who 
have never gone through any regular military train¬ 
ing, to stand their ground, singly and unprotected, 
within fifty yards of an advancing line of cavalry. 
Our fellows did it, however, and fired, not all at 
once, or in a hurry, but slowly and deliberately — a 
running fire, every shot of which told. Saddle after 
saddle was emptied; the men, as they had been 
ordered, always picking out the foremost horsemen, 
and as soon as they had fired, jumping down the 
bank to reload. When the whole of the thirty men 
had discharged their rifles, Wharton and myself, 
with the reserve of six-and-thirty more, took their 
places; but the dragoons had had almost enough 
already, and we had scarcely fired ten shots when 
they executed a right-about turn, with a uniformity 
and rapidity which did infinite credit to their drill, 
and went off at a pace that soon carried them out of 
the reach of our bullets. They had evidently not 
expected so warm a reception. We saw their officers 
doing every thing they could to check their flight. 


TW EM T Y TO ONE. 


209 


imploring, threatening, even cutting at them with 
their sabers, but it was all of no use ; if they were 
to be killed, it must be in their own way, and they 
preferred being cut down by their officers to encoun¬ 
tering the deadly precision of rifles, in the hands of 
men who, being sure of hitting a squirrel at a hun¬ 
dred yards, were not likely to miss a Durango dra¬ 
goon at any point within range. 

Our object in ordering the men to fire slowly was, 
always to have thirty or forty rifles loaded, wherewith 
to receive the enemy should he attempt a general 
charge. But our first greeting had been a sickener, 
and it appeared doubtful whether he would venture 
to attack us again, although the officers did every 
thing in their power to induce theii men to advance. 
For a long time, neither threats, entreaties, nor re¬ 
proaches produced any effect. We saw the officers 
gesticulating furiously, pointing to us with their 
sabers, and impatiently spurring their horses, till 
the fiery animals plunged and reared, and sprang 
with all four feet from the ground. It is only just to 
say, that the officers exhibited a degree of courage 
far beyond any thing we had expected frqm them. 
Of the two squadrons that charged us, two-thirds of 
the officers had fallen; but those who remained, 


210 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


instead of appearing intimidated by their comrades’ 
fate, redoubled their efforts to bring their men 
forward. 

At last there appeared some probability of their 
accomplishing this, after a curious and truly Mexican 
fashion. Posting themselves in front of their squad¬ 
rons, they rode on alone for a hundred yards or so, 
halted, looked round, as much as to say, “ You see 
there is no danger as far as this,” and then, galloping 
back, led their men on. Each time that they exe¬ 
cuted this maneuver, the dragoons would advance 
slowly some thirty or forty paces, and then halt as 
simultaneously as if the word of command had been 
given. Off went the officers again some distance to 
the front, and thon back again to their men, and got 
them on a little farther. In this manner these heroes 
were inveigled once more to within a hundred and 
fifty yards of our position. 

Of course, at each of the numerous halts which 
they made during their advance, they favored us 
with a general but most innocuous discharge of their 
carbines; and at last, gaining confidence, I suppose, 
from our passiveness, and from the noise and smoke 
they themselves had made, three squadrons, which 
had not yet been under fire, formed open column and 


TWENTY TO ONE. 


211 


advanced at a trot. Without giving them time to 
halt or reflect—“Forward! Charge!” shouted the 
officers, urging their own horses to their utmost 
speed; and* following the impulse thus given, the 
three squadrons came charging furiously along. 

Up sprang thirty of our men to receive them. 
Their orders were to fire slowly, and not throw away 
a shot, but the gleaming sabers and rapid approach 
of the dragoons flurried some of them, and, firing 
a hasty volley, they jumped down the bank again. 
This precipitation had nearly been fatal to us. Sev¬ 
eral of the dragoons fell, and there was some confu¬ 
sion and a momentary faltering among the others; 
but they still came on. At this critical moment, 
Wharton and myself, with the reserve, showed our¬ 
selves on the bank. “Slow and sure—mark your 
men! ” shouted we both, Wharton on the right and 
I on the left. The command was obeyed ; rifle after 
rifle cracked off, always aimed at the foremost of 
the dragoons, and at every report a saddle was 
emptied. Before we had all fired, Fanning and 
a dozen of his smartest men had again loaded, and 
were by our side. For nearly a minute the Mexicans 
paused, as if stupefied by our murderous fire, and 
uncertain whether to advance or retire; but as 


212 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


those who attempted the former were invariably 
shot down, they at last began a retreat, which was 
soon converted into a rout. We gave^them a fare¬ 
well volley, which eased a few more horses of their 
riders, and then got under cover again, to await 
what might next occur. 

But the Mexican Caballeros had no notion of com¬ 
ing to the scratch a third time. They kept patrolling 
about some three or four hundred yards off, and 
firing volleys at us, which they were able to do with 
perfect impunity, as at that distance we did not 
think proper to return a shot. 

The skirmish had lasted nearly three quarters of 
an hour. Strange to say, we had not had a single 
man wounded, although at times the bullets had 
fallen about us as thick as hail. We could not ac 
count for this. Many of us had been hit by the 
balls, but a bruise or a graze of the skin were the 
worst consequences. We were in a fair way to deem 
ourselves invulnerable. 

We began to think the fight over for the day, 
when our vedettes at the lower ford brought us the 
somewhat unpleasant intelligence that large masses 
of infantry were approaching the river, and would 
soon be in sight. The words were hardly uttered, 


TWENTY TO ONE. 


213 


when the roll of drums and the shrill squeak of the 
fife were audible, and in a few minutes the head of 
the column of infantry, having crossed the ford, as¬ 
cended the sloping bank, and defiled in the prairie 
opposite the island of muskeet trees. As company 
after company appeared, we were able to form a 
pretty exact estimate of their numbers. There were 
two battalions, together about a thousand men ; and 
they brought a field-piece with them. 

These were certainly rather long odds to be op¬ 
posed to seventy-two men and three officers; for it 
must be remembered that we had left eight of our 
people at the mission, and twelve in the island of 
trees. Two battalions of infantry, and six squadrons 
of dragoons — the latter, to be sure, disheartened 
and diminished by the loss of some fifty men, but 
nevertheless formidable opponents, now that they 
were supported by the foot soldiers. About twenty 
Mexicans to each of us. It was getting past a joke. 
We were all capital shots, and most of us, besides 
our rifles, had a brace of pistols in our belts ; but 
what were seventy-five rifles, and five or six score 
pistols, against a thousand muskets and bayonets, 
two hundred and fifty dragoons, and a field-piece 
loaded with canister? If the Mexicans had a spark 


214 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


of courage or soldiership about them, our fate was 
sealed. But it was exactly this courage and soldier¬ 
ship which we made sure would be wanting. 

Nevertheless we, the officers, could not repress a 
feeling of anxiety and self-reproach, when we re¬ 
flected that we had brought our comrades into such 
a hazardous predicament. But on looking around 
us, our apprehensions vanished. Nothing could 
exceed the perfect coolness and confidence with 
which the men were cleaning and preparing their 
rifles for the approaching conflict; no bravado—no 
boasting, talking or laughing, but a calm decision of 
manner, which at once told us that, if it were possi¬ 
ble to overcome such odds as were brought against 
us, those were the men to do it. 

Our arrangements for the approaching struggle 
were soon completed. Fanning and Wharton were 
to make head against the infantry and cavalry. I 
was to capture the field-piece—an eight-pounder. 

This gun was placed by the Mexicans upon their 
extreme left, close to the river, the shores of which 
it commanded for a considerable distance. The 
bank along which we were posted was, as before 
mentioned, indented by caves and hollows, and 
covered with a thick tapestry of vines and other 


TWENTY TO ONE. 


21ö 


plants, very nefiil in concealing us from the artillery¬ 
men. The latter made a pretty good guess at our 
position, however, and at the first discharge the 
canister whizzed past us at a very short distance. 
There was not a moment to lose, for one well-directed 
shot might exterminate half of us. Followed by a 
dozen men, I worked my way as well as I could 
through the labyrinth of vines and bushes, and was 
not more than fifty yards from the gun, when it was 
again fired. No one was hurt, although the shot was 
evidently intended for my party. The enemy could 
not see us; but the motion of the vines, as we passed 
through them, had betrayed our whereabouts: so, 
perceiving we were discovered, I sprang up the bank 
into the prairie, followed by my men, to whom I 
shouted to be sure and aim at the artillerymen. 

I had raised my own rifle to my shoulder, when 
I let it fall again in astonishment at an apparition 
that presented itself to my view. It was a tall, lean, 
wild figure, with a face overgrown by a long beard 
that hung down upon his breast, and dressed in a 
leather cap, jacket, and moccasins. Where this man 
had sprung from was a perfect riddle. He was 
unknown to any of us, although I had some vague 
recollection of having seen him before, but where 


216 


AX/VENTURES IN TEXAS. 


or when I could not recall to mind. He had a long 
rifle in his hands, which he must have fired once 
already, for one of the artillerymen lay dead by the 
gun. At the moment I first caught sight of him, he 
shot down another, and then began reloading, with 
a rapid dexterity that proved him well used to the 
thing. My men were as much astonished as I was 
by this strange apparition, which appeared to have 
started out of the earth; and for a few seconds they 
forgot to fire, and stood gazing at the stranger. The 
latter evidently disapproved their inaction. 

“D-yer eyes, ye starin’ fools!” shouted he in 

a rough, hoarse voice, “don’t ye see them artillery¬ 
men? Why do n’t ye knock ’em on the head?” 

It certainly was not the moment to remain idle. 
We fired; but our astonishment had thrown us off 
our balance, and we nearly all missed. We sprang 
down the bank again to load, just as the men serving 
the gun were slewing it round, so as to bring it to 
bear upon us. Before this was accomplished, we 
were under cover, and the stranger had the benefit 
of the discharge, of which he took no more notice 
than if he had borne a charmed life. Again we 
heard the crack of his rifle, and when, having re¬ 
loaded, we once more ascended the bank, he was 


TWENTY TO ONE. 


217 


taking aim at the last artilleryman, who fell, as his 
companions had done. 

“ D-ye, for laggin’ fellers ! 79 growled the stran¬ 

ger. “Why don’t you take that ’ere big gun?” 

The smallness of our numbers, the had direction 
of our first volley, but, above all, the precipitation 
with which we had jumped down the bank after 
firing it, had so encouraged the enemy, that a com¬ 
pany of infantry, drawn up some distance in rear 
of the field-piece, fired a volley, and advanced at 
double-quick time, part of them making a small 
circuit with the intention of cutting us off from our 
friends. At this moment we saw Fanning and 
thirty men coming along the river bank to our 
assistance; so without minding the Mexicans, who 
were getting behind us, we rushed forward to within 
twenty paces of those in our front, and taking 
steady aim, brought down every man his bird. The 
sort of desperate coolness with which this was done, 
produced the greater effect on our opponents, as 
being something quite out of their way. They 
would, perhaps, have stood firm against a volley 
from five times our number, at a rather greater dis¬ 
tance ; but they did not like having their mustaches 

singed by our powder; and after a moment’s 

10 



218 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


wavering and hesitation, they shouted out u Diablos! 
Diablos!” and throwing away their muskets, broke 
into a precipitate flight. 

Fanning and Wharton now came up with all the 
men. Under cover of the infantry’s advance, the 
gun had been remanned, but, luckily for us, only by 
infantry soldiers; for had there been artillerymen to 
seize the moment when we were all standing exposed 
on the prairie, they might have diminished our 
numbers not a little. The fuse was already burning, 
and we had just time to get under the bank when 
the gun went off. Up we jumped again, and looked 
about us to see what was next to be done. 

Although hitherto all the advantage had been on 
our side, our situation was still a very perilous one. 
The company we .had put to flight had rejoined its 
battalion, which now advanced by echelon of com¬ 
panies. The second battalion, which was rather 

M Ler from us, moved forward in like manner, and 
patallel direction. We should probably, there¬ 
fore, have to resist the attack of a dozen companies, 
one after the other; and it was to be feared that the 
Mexicans would at last get over their panic-terror 
of our rifles, and exchange their distant and ineffec¬ 
tual platoon firing for a charge with the bayonet, in 


TWENTY TO ONE. 


219 


which their superior numbers would tell. We ob¬ 
served, also, that the cavalry, which had kept at a 
safe distance, was now put in motion, and formed up 
close to the island of muskeet trees, to which the 
right flank of the infantry was also extending itself. 
Thence they had clear ground for a charge down 
upon us. 

Meanwhile, what had become of the twelve men 

whom we had left in the island? Were they still 

there, or had they fallen back upon the mission in 

dismay at the overwhelming force of the Mexicans? 

If the latter, it was a bad business for us, for they 

were all capital shots, and well armed with rifles 

and pistols. We heartily wished we had brought 

them with us, as well as the eight men at the mission. 

Cut off from us as they were, what could they do 

against the whole of the cavalry, and two companies 

of infantry now approaching the island? To add 

to our difficulties, ammunition began to run short. 

I 1 1 

Many of us had had only enough powder and ball for 
fifteen or sixteen charges, which were now reduced to 
six or seven. It was no use desponding, however; 
and, after a hurried consultation, it was agreed that 
Fanning and Wharton should open a fire upon the 
enemy’s center, while I made a dash at the field- 


220 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


piece before more infantry had come up for its pro¬ 
tection. 

The infantry-men who had remanned the gun 
were by this time shot down, and, as none had come 
to replace them, it was served by an officer alone. 
Just as I gave the order to advance to the twenty 
men who were to follow me, this officer fell. Simul¬ 
taneously with his fall, I heard a sort of yell behind 
me, and turning round, saw that it proceeded from 
the wild, specter-looking stranger, whom I had lost 
sight of during the last few minutes. A ball had 
struck him, and he fell heavily to the ground, his 
rifle—which had just been discharged, and still 
smoked from muzzle and touchhole—clutched con¬ 
vulsively in both hands ; his features distorted ; his 
eyes rolling frightfully. There was something in the 
expression of his face at that moment which brought 
back to me, in vivid colors, one of the earliest and 
most striking incidents of my residence in Texas. 
Had I not myself seen him hung, I could have sworn 
that Bob Bock , the mui'derer , now lay before me. 

A second look at the man gave additional force 
to this idea. 

“ Bob! ” I exclaimed. 

“Bob!” repeated the wounded man in a broken 


* X 

TWENTY TO ONE. 221 

voice, and with a look of astonishment, almost of 
dismay. “Who calls Bob?” 

A wild gleam shot from his eyes, which the next 
instant closed. His senses had left him. 

It was neither the time nor the place to indulge 
in speculations on this singular resurrection of a man 
whose execution I had myself witnessed. With 
twelve hundred foes around us, we had plenty to 
occupy all our thoughts and attention. My people 
were already masters of the gun, and some of them 
drew it forward and pointed it against the enemy, 
while the others spread out right and left to protect 
it with their rifles. I was busy loading the piece 
when an exclamation of surprise from one of the 
men made me look up. 

There seemed to be something extraordinary hap¬ 
pening among the Mexicans, to judge from the degree 
of confusion which suddenly showed itself in their 
ranks, and which, beginning with the cavalry and 
right flank of the infantry, soon became general 
throughout their whole force. It was a sort of wa¬ 
vering and unsteadiness which, to us, was quite 
unaccountable, for Fanning and Wharton had not 
yet fired twenty shots, and, indeed, had only just 
come within range of the enemy. Hot knowing 


222 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


what it could portend, I called in my men, and sta¬ 
tioned them round the gun, which I double-shotted, 
and stood ready to fire. 

The confusion in the Mexican ranks increased. 
For about a minute they waved and reeled to and 
fro, as if uncertain which way to go; and at last 
the cavalry and right of the line fairly broke, and 
ran for it. This example was followed by the center, 
and presently the whole of the two battalions and 
three hundred cavalry were scattered over the prai¬ 
rie in the wildest and most disorderly flight. I gave 
them a parting salute from the eight-pounder, which 
would doubtless have accelerated their movements 
had it b*!en possible to run faster than they were 
already doing. 

We stood staring after the fugitives in bewilder¬ 
ment, totally unable to explain their apparently 
causless panic. At last the report of several rifles 
from the island of trees gave us a clue to the mystery. 

The infantry, whose left flank extended to the 
Salado, had pushed their right into the prairie as 
far as the island of muskeet trees, in order to con¬ 
nect their line with the dragoons, and then, by a 
general advance, to attack us on all sides at once, 
and get the full advantage of their superior numbers. 


TWENTY TO ONE. 


223 


The plan was not a bad one. Infantry and cavalry 
approached the island, quite unsuspicious of its 
concealing an enemy. The twelve riflemen whom 
we had stationed there remained perfectly quiet, 
concealed behind the trees; allowed squadrons and 
companies to come within twenty paces of them, 
and then opened their fire, first from their pistols, 
then from their rifles. 

Some six-and-thirty shots, every one of which 
told, fired suddenly from a cover close to their rear, 
were enough to startle even the best troops, much 
more so our Mexican Dons, who, already sufficiently 
inclined to a panic, now believed themselves fallen 
into an ambuscade, and surrounded on all sides by 
the incarnate didblos , as they called us. The cav¬ 
alry, who had not yet recovered the thrashing we 
had given them, were ready enough for a run, and 
the infantry were not slow to follow. 

Our first impulse was naturally to pursue the 
flying enemy, but a discovery made by some of the 
men induced us to abandon that idea. They had 
opened the pouches of the dead Mexicans in order 

to supply themselves with ammunition, ours being 

# 

nearly expended ; but the powder of the cartridges 
turned out so bad as to be useless. It was little 


224 ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 

better than charcoal-dust, and would not carry a 
ball fifty paces to kill or wound. This accounted 
for our apparent invulnerability to the fire of the 
Mexicans. The muskets also were of a very inferior 
description. Both they and the cartridges were of 
English make; the former being stamped Birming¬ 
ham, the latter having the name of an English pow¬ 
der-manufactory, with the insignificant addition, “ for 
exportation.” 

Under these circumstances, we had nothing to do 
but to let the Mexicans run. We sent a detachment 
to the muskeet island to reinforce the twelve men 
who had done such good service, and thence to ad¬ 
vance toward the ford. We ourselves proceeded 
slowly in the latter direction. This demonstration 
brought the fugitives back again, ,for most of them, 
in the wild precipitation of their flight, had passed 
the only place where they could traverse the river, 
across which they now crowded in the greatest con¬ 
fusion, foot and horse all mixed up together; and by 
the time we got within a hundred paces of the ford, 
the prairie was nearly clear of them. There were 
still a couple of hundred men on our side the water, 
completely at our mercy, and Wharton, who was a 
little in front with thirty men, gave the word to fire 


TWENTY TO ONE. 


225 


upon them. No one obeyed. He repeated the com¬ 
mand. Not a rifle was raised. He stared at his 
men, astonished and impatient at this strange diso¬ 
bedience. An old weather-beaten bear-hunter step¬ 
ped forward, squirting out his tobacco juice with all 
imaginable deliberation. 

“I tell ye what, capting!” said he, passing his 
quid over from his right cheek to his left; “I cal- 
kilate, capting,” he continued, “we’d better leave 
the poor devils of Dons alone.” 

“The poor devils of Dons alone!” repeated Whar¬ 
ton in a rage. “ Are you mad, man ? ” 

Fanning and I had just come up with our detach¬ 
ment, and were not less surprised and angry than 
Wharton at this breach of discipline. The man, 
however, did not suffer himself to be disconcerted. 

“There’s a proverb, gentlemen,” said he, turning 
to us, “which says, that one should build a golden 
bridge for a beaten enemy; and a good proverb it 
is, I calkilate — a considerable good one.” 

“What do you mean, man, with your golden 
bridge?” cried Fanning—“this is no time for 
proverbs.” 

“Do you know that you are liable to be punished 

for insubordination?” said I. “It’s your duty to 
10 * 


226 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


fire, and do the enemy all the harm you can—not to 
be quoting proverbs.” 

“Calkilate it is,” replied the man very coolly. 
“Calkilate I could shoot ’em without either danger 
or trouble; but I reckon that would be like Span¬ 
iards or Mexicans ; not like Americans—not pru¬ 
dent.” 

“Not like Americans? Would you let the enemy 
escape, then, when we have him in our power?” 

“ Calkilate I would. Calkilate we should do our¬ 
selves more harm than him by shootin’ down his 
people. That was a considerable sensible command¬ 
ment of yourn, always to shoot the foremost of the 
Mexicans when they attacked; It discouraged the 
bold ones, and was kinder premium on cowardice. 
Them as lagged behind escaped, them as came 
bravely on were shot. It was a good calkilation. If 
we had shot ’em without discrimination, the cowards 
would have got bold, seein’ that they weren’t safer 
in rear than in front. The cowards are our best 
friends. Now them runaways,” continued he, point¬ 
ing to the Mexicans, who were crowding over the 
river, “ are jest the most cowardly of ’em all, for in 
their fright they quite forgot the ford, and it’s be¬ 
cause they ran so far beyond it that they are last to 


TWENTY TO ONE. 


227 


cross the water. And if you fire at ’em now, they ’ll 
find that they get nothin’ by bein’ cowards ; and the 
next time, I reckon, they ’ll sell their hides as dear as 
they can.” 

Untimely as this palaver, to use a popular word, 
undoubtedly was, we could scarcely forbear smiling 
at the simple, artless manner in which the old Yan¬ 
kee spoke his mind. 

“Calkilate, captings,” he concluded, “you’d better 
let the poor devils run. We shall get more profit 
by it than if we shot five hundred of ’em. Next 
time they ’ll run away directly, to show their gratitude 
for our ginerosity.” 

The man stepped back into the ranks, and his 
comrades nodded approvingly, and calculated and 
reckoned that Zebediah had spoke a true word ; and 
meanwhile the enemy had crossed the river, and was 
out of our reach. We were forced to content our¬ 
selves with sending a party across the water to follow 
up the Mexicans, and observe the direction they took. 
We then returned to our old position. 

My first thought on arriving there was to search 
for the body of Bob Rock—for he it undoubtedly 
was who had so mysteriously appeared among us. 

T repaired to the spot where I had seen him fall, but 


228 


AD VENTURES IN TEXAS. 


could find no trace of him, either dead or alive. 1 
went over the whole scene of the fight, searched 
among the vines and along the bank of the river; 
there were plenty of dead Mexicans — cavalry, in¬ 
fantry, and artillery—but no Bob was to be found, 
nor could any one inform me what had become ot 
him, although several had seen him fall. 

I was continuing my search, when I met Wharton, 
who asked me what I was seeking, and on learning, 
shook his head gravely. He had seen the wild 
prairieman, he said, but whence he came, or whither 
he was gone, was more than he could tell. It was a 
long time since any thing had startled and astonished 
him so much as this man’s appearance and proceed¬ 
ings. He (Wharton) was stationed with his party 
among the vines, about fifty paces in rear of Fan¬ 
ning’s people, when, just as the Mexican infantry had 
crossed the ford, and were forming up, he saw a man 
approaching at a brisk trot from the north side of the 
prairie. He halted about a couple of hundred yards 
from Wharton, tied his mustang to a bush, and, with 
his rifle on his arm, strode along the edge of the prai¬ 
rie in the direction of the Mexicans. When he passed 
near Wharton, the latter called out to him to halt, and 
to say who he was, whence he came, and whither going. 


TWENTY TO ONE. 


229 


“Who I am is no business of yourn,” replied the 
man ; “nor where I come from neither. You’ll soon 
see where I’m goin’. I’m goin’ agin’ the enemy.” 

“Then you must come and join us,” cried Wharton. 

This the stranger testily refused to do. He’d 
fight on his own hook,* he said. 

Wharton told him he must not do that. 

He should like to see who’d hinder him, he said, 
and walked on. The next moment he shot the first 
artilleryman. After that they let him take his own 
way. 

Neither Wharton, nor any of his men, knew what 
had become of him; but at last I met with a bear- 
hunter, who gave me the following information. 

“ Calkilatin’,” said he, “ that the wild prairieman’s 
rifle was a capital good one—as good a one as ever 
killed a bear—he tho’t it a pity that it should fall 
into bad hands, so went to secure it himself, although 
the frontispiece of its dead owner warn’t very in¬ 
vitin’. But when he stooped to take the gun, he got 
such a shove as knocked him backward ; and on 
getting up, he saw the prairieman openin’ his jacket 
and examinin’ a wound on his breast, which was 
neither deep nor dangerous, although it had taken 
away the man’s senses for a while. The ball had 


230 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


struck the breast bone, and was quite near the skin, 
so that the wounded man pushed it out with his 
fingers; and then, supporting himself on his rifle, 
got up from the ground, and without either a 
thankye, or a d—nye, walked to where his mustang 
was tied up, got on its back, and rode slowly away 
in a northerly direction.” 

This was all the information I could obtain on the 
subject, and shortly afterward the main body of our 
army came up, and I had other matters to occupy 
my attention. General Austin expressed his grati¬ 
tude and approbation to our brave fellows, after a 
truly republican and democratic fashion. He shook 
hands with all the rough bear and buffalo hunters, 
and drank with them. Fanning and myself he pro¬ 
moted on the spot to the rank of colonel. 

We were giving the general a detailed account 
of the morning’s events, when a Mexican priest 
appeared with a flag of truce and several wagons, 
and craved permission to take away the dead. This 
was of course granted, and we had some talk with 
the padre, who, however, was too wily a customer 
to allow himself to be r umped. What little we did 
get out of him determined us to advance the same 
afternoon against San Antonio. We thought there 


TWENTY TO ONE. 


231 


was some chance that, in the present panic-struck 
state of the Mexicans, we might obtain possession 
of the place by a bold and sudden assault. 

In this, however, we were mistaken. We found 
the gates closed, and the enemy on his guard, but 
too dispirited to oppose our taking up a position at 
about cannon-shot from the great redoubt. We had 
soon invested all the outlets from the city. 

San Antonio de Bexar lies in a fertile and well- 
irrigated valley, stretching westward from the river 
Salado. In the center of the town rises the fort of 
the Alamo, which at that time was armed with 
forty-eight pieces of artillery of various calibre. The 
garrison of the town and fortress was nearly three 
thousand strong. 

Our artillery consisted of two batteries of four 
six-pounders and five eight-pounders ; our army of 
eleven hundred men, with which we had not only 
to carry on the siege, but also to make head against 
the forces that would be sent against us from 
Cohahuila, on the frontier of which province General 
Cos was stationed, with a strong body of troops. 

We were not discouraged, however, and opened 
our fire upon the city. During the first week, not a 
day passed without smart skirmishes. General Cos’s 


232 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


dragoons swarmed about us like so many Bedouins. 
But although well mounted, and capital horsemen, 
they were no match for our backwoodsmen. Those 
from the western states, especially, accustomed to 
Indian warfare and cunning, laid traps and ambus¬ 
cades for the Mexicans, and were constantly destroy¬ 
ing their detachments. As for the besieged, if one 
of them showed his head for ten seconds above the 
city wall, he was sure of getting a rifle bullet through 
it. I cannot say that our besieging army was a 
perfect model of military discipline; but any defi¬ 
ciencies in that respect were made good by the intel¬ 
ligence of our men, and the zeal and unanimity with 
which they pursued the accomplishment of one great 
object—the capture of the city—the liberty and 
independence of Texas. 

The badness of the gunpowder used by the Mexi¬ 
cans was again of great service to us. Many of their 
cannon-balls that fell far short of us were collected, 
and returned to them with powerful effect. We kept 
a sharp look-out for convoys, and captured no less 
than three—one of horses, anotner of provisions, 
and twenty thousand dollars in money. 

After an eight weeks’ siege, a breach having been 
made, the city surrendered, and a month later, the 


TWENTY TO ONE. 


233 


fort followed the example. With a powerful park of 
artillery we then advanced upon Goliad, the strong¬ 
est fortress in Texas, which likewise capitulated in 
about four weeks’ time. We were now masters of 
the whole country, and the war was apparently at an 
end. 

But the Mexicans were not the people to give up 
their best province so easily. They have too much 
of the old Spanish character about them — that deter¬ 
mined obstinacy which sustained the Spaniards du¬ 
ring their protracted struggle against the Moors. The 
honor of their republic was compromised, and that 
must be redeemed. Thundering proclamations were 
issued, denouncing the Texans as rebels, who should 
be swept off the face of the earth, and threatening 
the United States for having aided us with money 
and volunteers. Ten thousand of the best troops in 
Mexico entered Texas, and were shortly to be followed 
by ten thousand more. The President, General Santa 
Anna, himself came to take the command, attended 
by a numerous and brilliant staff. 

The Texans laughed at the fanfaronades of the 
Dons, and did not attach sufficient importance to 
these formidable preparations. Their good opinion 
of themselves, and contempt of their foes, had been 


234 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


increased to an unreasonable degree by their recent 
and rapid successes. They forgot that the troops to 
which they had hitherto been opposed were for the 
most part militia, and that those now advancing 
against them were of a far better description, and 
had probably better powder. The call to arms made 
by our president, Burnet, was disregarded by many, 
und we could only get together about two thousand 
men, of whom nearly two-thirds had to be left to 
garrison the forts of Goliad and Alamo. In the first- 
named place,, we left seven hundred and sixty men, 
under the command of Fanning; in the latter, some¬ 
thing more than five hundred. With the remaining 
seven or eight hundred we took the field. 

The Mexicans advanced so rapidly that they were 
upon us before we were aware of it, and we were 
compelled to retreat, leaving the garrisons of the two 
forts to their fate, and a right melancholy one it 
proved. 

One morning news was brought to Goliad that a 
number of country people, principally women and 
children, were on their way to the fort, closely pur¬ 
sued by the Mexicans. Fanning, losing sight of 
prudence in his compassion for these poor people, 
immediately ordered a battalion of five hundred 



TWENTY TO ONE. 


235 


men, under the command of Major Ward, to go and 
meet the fugitives and escort them in. The major 
and several officers of the garrison doubted as to the 
propriety of this measure ; but Fanning, full of sym¬ 
pathy for his unprotected countrywomen, insisted, 
and the battalion moved on. They soon came in 
sight of the fugitives, as they thought, but on draw¬ 
ing nearer, the latter turned out to be Mexican dra- 
goons, who sprang upon their horses, which were 
concealed in the neighboring islands of trees, and a 
desperate fight began. The Mexicans, far superior in 
numbers, received every moment accessions to their 
strength. The Louis-Potosi and Santa Fe cavalry, 
fellows who seem born on horseback, were there. 
Our unfortunate countrymen were hemmed in on all 
sides. The fight lasted two days, and only two men 
out of the five hundred escaped with their lives. 

Before the news of this misfortune reached us, 
orders had been sent to Fanning to evacuate the fort 
and join us with six pieces of artillery. He received 
the order, and proceeded to execute it. But what 
might have been very practicable for eight hundred 
and sixty men, was impossible for three hundred 
and sixty. Nevertheless, Fanning began his march 
through the prairie. His little band was almost 


236 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


immediately surrounded by the enemy. After a 
gallant defense, which lasted twelve hours, they suc¬ 
ceeded in reaching an island ; but scarcely had they 
established themselves there, when they found that 
their ammunition was expended. There was nothing 
left for them but to accept the terms offered by the 
Mexicans, who pledged themselves that, if they laid 
down their arms, they should be permitted to return 
to their homes. But the rifles were no sooner piled 
than the Texans found themselves charged by their 
treacherous foes, who butchered them without mercy. 
Only an advanced post of three men succeeded in 
escaping. 

The five hundred men whom we had left in San 
Antonio de Bexar fared no better. JSTot sufficiently 
numerous to hold out the town as well as the Alamo, 
they retreated into the latter. The Mexican artil¬ 
lery soon laid a part of the fort in ruins. Still its 
defenders held out. After eight days’ fighting, 
during which the loss of the besiegers was tremen¬ 
dously severe, the Alamo was taken, and not a single 
Texan left alive. 

¥e thus, by these two cruel blows, lost two-thirds 
of our army, and little more than seven hundred 
men remained to resist the numerous legions of our 


TWENTY TO ONE. 


237 


victorious foe. The prospect before us was one well 
calculated to daunt the stoutest heart. 

The Mexican general, Santa Anna, moved his 
army forward in two divisions, one stretching along 
the coast toward Yelasco, the other advancing 
toward San Felipe de Austin. He himself, with a 
small force, marched in the center. At Fort Bend, 
twenty miles below San Felipe, he crossed the 
Brazos, and shortly afterward established himself, 
with about fifteen hundred men, in an intrenched 
camp. Our army, under the command of General 
Houston, was in front of Harrisburg, to which place 
the congress had retreated. 

It was on the night of the 20th of April, and our 
whole disposable force, some seven hundred men, 
was bivouacked in and about an island of sycamores. 
It was a cloudy, stormy evening ; a high wind blew, 
and the branches of the trees groaned and creaked 
above our heads. The weather harmonized well 
enough with our feelings, which were sad and de¬ 
sponding when we thought of the desperate state 
of our cause. We (the officers) were seated in a 
circle round the general and Alcalde, both of whom 
appeared uneasy and anxious. More than once 
they got up, and walked backward and forward, 


238 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


seemingly impatient, and as if they waited for or 
expected something. There was a deep silence 
throughout the whole bivouac; some slept, and 
those who watched were in no humor for idle chat. 

“Who goes there?” suddenly shouted a sentry. 
The answer we did not hear, but it was apparently 
satisfactory, for there was no further challenge, and 
a few seconds afterward an orderly came up, and 
whispered something in the ear of the Alcalde. The 
latter hurried away, and, presently returning, spoke 
a few words in a low tone to the general, and then 
to us officers! In an instant we were all upon our 
feet. In less then ten minutes the bivouac was 
broken up, and our little army on the march. 

All our people were well mounted, and armed 
with rifles, pistols, and bowie-knives. We had six 
field-pieces, but we only took four, harnessed with 
twice the usual number of horses. We marched at 
a rapid trot the whole night, led by a tall, gaunt 
figure of a man who acted as our guide, and kept 
some distance in front. I more than once asked the 
Alcalde who this was. “You will know by and by,” 
was his answer. 

Before daybreak we had ridden five-and-twenty 
miles, but had been compelled to abandon two more 


TWENTY TO ONE. 


239 


guns. As yet, no one knew the object of this forced 
march. The general commanded a halt, and ordered 
the men to refresh and strengthen themselves by food 
and drink. While they did this, he assembled 
the officers around him, and the meaning of our 
night-march was explained to us. The camp in 
which the Mexican president and general-in-chief 
had intrenched himself was within a mile of us ; 
General Parza, with two thousand men, was twenty 
miles farther to the rear ; General Filasola, with one 
thousand, eighteen miles lower down on the Brazos ; 
Yisca, with fifteen hundred, twenty-five miles higher 
up. One bold, decided blow, and Texas might yet 
be free. There was not a moment to lose, nor was 
one lost. The general addressed the men. 

. “Friends! Brothers! Citizens! General Santa 
Anna is within a mile of us with fifteen hundred men. 
The hour that is to decide the queston of Texan lib- 
erty, is now arrived. What say you? Do we attack? ” 

“We do!” exclaimed the men with one voice, 
cheerfully and decidedly. 

In the most perfect stillness we arrived within two 
hundred paces of the enemy’s camp. The reveille 
of the sleeping Mexicans was the discharge of our 
two field-pieces loaded with canister. Bushing on to 


240 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


within twenty-five paces of the intrenchment, wo 
gave them a deadly volley from our rifles, and then, 
throwing away the latter, bounded up the breast¬ 
works, a pistol in each hand. The Mexicans, scared 
and stupefied by this sudden attack, ran to and fro 
in the wildest confusion, seeking their arms, and not 
knowing which way to turn. After firing our pistols, 
we threw them away as we had done our rifles, and, 
drawing our bowie-knives, fell, with a shout, upon 
the masses of the terrified foe. It was more like the 
boarding of a ship than any land fight I had ever 
seen or imagined. 

My station was on the right of the line, where 
the breastwork, ending in a redoubt, was steep and 
high. I made two attempts to climb up, but both 
times slipped back. On the third trial I nearly 
gained the summit; but was again slipping down, 
when a hand seized me by the collar, and pulled me 
up on the bank. In the darkness and confusion, I 
did not distinguish the face of the man who rendered 
me this assistance. I only saw the glitter of a bayo¬ 
net which a Mexican thrust into his shoulder, at the 
very moment he helped me up. He neither flinched 
nor let go his hold of me till I was fairly on my 
feet; then, turning slowly round, he leveled a pistol 


TWENTY TO ONE. 


Ml 


at the soldier, who, at that very moment, was struck 
down by the Alcalde. 

“No thanks to ye, squire! ” exclaimed the man, in 
a voice that made me start, even in that moment of 
excitement and bustle. I looked at the speaker, but 
could only see his back, for he had already plunged 
into the thick of the fight, and was engaged with a 
party of Mexicans, who defended themselves desper¬ 
ately. He fought like a man as anxious to be killed 
as to kill, striking furiously right and left, but never 
guarding a blow, though the Alcalde, who was by his 
side, warded off several which were aimed at him. 

By this time my men had scrambled up after me. 
I looked round to see where our help was most wanted, 
and was about to lead them forward, when I heard 
the voice of the Alcalde. 

“Are you badly hurt, Bob?” said he in an anxious 
tone. 

I glanced at the spot whence the voice came. 
There lay Bob Rock, covered with blood, and appa¬ 
rently insensible. The Alcalde was supporting his 
head on his arm. Before I had time to give a second 
look, I was hurried forward with the rest toward the 
center of the camp, where the fight was the hottest. 

About five hundred men, the pick of the Mexican 
11 


242 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


army, had collected round a knot of staff-officers, and 
were making a most gallant defense. General Hous¬ 
ton had attacked them with three hundred of -our 
people, but had not been able to break their ranks. 
His charge, however, had shaken them a little, and, 
before they had time to recover, from it, I came up. 
With a wild hurrah, my men fired their pistols, 
hurled them at their enemies’ heads* and then, spring-, 
ing over the corpses of the fallen, dashed like a-thun¬ 
derbolt into the broken ranks of the-Mexicans. * 

A frightful butchery ensued. Our men, who were 
for the most part, and at most times, peaceable and 
humane in disposition, were converted into perfect 
fiends. Whole ranks of the enemy fell under their 
knives. Some idea may be formed of the horrible 
slaughter, from the fact that the fight, from beginning 
to end, did not last above ten minutes, and in that 
time nearly eight hundred Mexicans were cut or shot 
down. “Ho quarter!” whs the cry of the infuriated 
assailants : “ Remember Alamo! Remember Goliad! 
Think of Fanning, Ward!” The Mexicans threw 
themselves on their knees, imploring mercy. “ Mis- 
ericordia ! Cuartel , por el amor de Dios ! ” shrieked 
they in heart-rending tones; but their supplications 
were not listened to, and every man of them would 


TWENTY TO ONE. 


243 


inevitably have been butchered, had not General 
Houston and the officers dashed in between the vic¬ 
tors and the vanquished, and with the greatest diffi¬ 
culty, and by threats of cutting down our men if 
they did not desist, put an end to this scene of blood¬ 
shed, and saved the Texan character from the stain 
of unmanly cruelty. 

When all was over, I hurried to the spot Where I 
had left the Alcalde with Bob, who lay, bleeding 
from six wounds, Only a few paces from the spot 
where he had helped me up the breastwork. The 
bodies of two dead Mexicans served him for a pillow. 
The Alcalde was kneeling by his side, gazing sadly 
and earnestly into the face of the dying man. 

For Bob was dying; but it was no longer the 
death of the despairing murderer. The expression 
of his features was calm and composed, and his eyes 
were raised to heaven with a look of hope and sup¬ 
plication. 

I stooped down and asked him how he felt him¬ 
self, but he made no answer, and evidently did not 
remember me. After a minute or two, “How goes it 
with the fight?” he asked in a broken voice. 

“We have conquered, Bob. The enemy killed or 
taken. Hot a man escaped.” 


244 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


He paused a little, and then spoke again. 

“ Have I done my duty ? May I hope to be for¬ 
given? ” 

The Alcalde answered him in an agitated voice. 
“He who forgave the sinner on the cross will 
doubtless be merciful to you, Bob. His holy book 
says : ‘ There is more joy over one sinner that repent- 
eth than over ninety and nine just men . 5 Be of good 
hope, Bob! the Almighty will surely be merciful to 
you ! 55 

“Thank ye, squire,” gasped Bob, “you’re a true 
friend, a friend in life and death. Well, it’s come 
at last,” said he, a resigned and happy smile stealing 
over his features. “I’ve prayed for it long enough. 
Thank God, it’s come at last! ” 

He gazed upon the Alcalde with a kindly expres¬ 
sion of countenance. There was a slight shud¬ 
dering movement of his whole frame—Bob was 
dead. 

The Alcalde remained kneeling for a short time 
by the side of the corpse, his lips moving in prayer. 
At last he rose to his feet. 

“ God desireth not the death of the sinner, but 

rather that he may turn from his wickedness and 

% 

live,” said he, in a low and solemn tone; “I had 


TWENTY TO ONE. 


245 


those words in my thoughts four years ago, when I 
cut him down from the branch of the Patriarch.” 

“Four years ago!” cried I. “Then you cut him 
down, and were in time to save him! Was it he who 
yesterday brought us news of the vicinity of the foe?” 

“It was, and much more than that has he done,” 
replied the Alcalde, no longer striving to conceal the 
tears that fell from his eyes. “For four years has he 
served us, lived, fought, and spied for us, without 
honor, reward, hope, or consolation — without a single 
hour of tranquillity, or a wish for aught except death. 
All this to serve Texas and his countrymen. Who 
shall say this man was not a true patriot ? ” 

“ God will surely be merciful to his soul,” said the 
Alcalde, after a pause. 

“I trust he will,” answered I, profoundly affected. 

We were interrupted at this moment by a message 
from General Houston, to whom we immediately 
hastened. All was uproar and confusion. Santa 
Anna could not be found among the prisoners. 

This was a terrible disappointment, for the capture 
of the Mexican president had been our principal 
object, and the victory we had gained was compara¬ 
tively unimportant if he escaped. Indeed, the hope 
of putting an end to the war by his capture had more 


246 ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 

than any thing encouraged and stimulated us to the 
unequal conflict. 

The' moment was a very critical one. Among our 
men were some thirty or forty desperate characters, 
who began handling their knives, and casting looks 
upon the prisoners, the meaning of which it was im¬ 
possible to mistake. Selecting some of our trustiest 
men, we stationed them as a guard over the captives, 
and, having thus assured the safety of the latter, 
questioned them as to what had become of their 
general. 

.They had none of them seen Santa Anna since the 
commencement of the fight, and it was clear that he 
must have made his escape while we were getting 
over the breastworks. He could not be very far off, 
and we at once took measures to find him. A hun¬ 
dred men were sent off with the prisoners to Harris¬ 
burg, and a hundred others, capitally mounted on 
horses found in the Mexican camp, started to scour 
the country in search of the fugitive chief. I accom¬ 
panied the latter detachment. 

We had been twelve hours in the saddle, and had 
ridden over nearly a hundred miles of ground. We 
almost despaired of finding the game we were in 
quest of, and thought of abandoning the chase, when, 


TWENTY TO ONE. 


247 


at a distance of about seven miles from the camp, 
. one of our most experienced hunters discovered the 
print of a small and delicate boot upon some soft 
ground leading to a marsh. Following this trail, it 
at last led us to a man sunk up to his waist in the 
swamp, and so covered with mud and filth as to be 
quite unrecognizable. We drew him from his hiding- 
place, half dead with cold and terror, and, having 
washed the dirt from his face, we found him to be a 
man of about forty years of age, with blue eyes, of a 
mild, but crafty expression ; a narrow, high forehead ; 
long, thin nose, rather fleshy at the the tip; project¬ 
ing upper lip, and long .chin. These features tallied 
too exactly with the description we had had of the 
Mexican president for us to doubt that our prisoner 
was Santa Anna himself. 

The only thing that at all tended to shake this 
conviction was the extraordinary poltroonery of our 
new captive. He threw himself on his knees, beg¬ 
ging us, in the name of God and all the saints, to 
spare his life. Our reiterated assurances and prom¬ 
ises were insufficient to convince him of his perfect 
safety, or to induce him to adopt a demeanor more 
consistent with his dignity and high station. 

The events which succeeded this fortunate capture 


248 


ADVENTURES IN TEXAS. 


are too well known to require more than a very 
brief recapitulation. The same evening, a truce was 
agreed upon between Houston and Santa Anna, the 
latter sending orders to his different generals to 
retire upon San Antonio de Bexar, and other places 
in the direction of the Mexican frontier. These 
orders, valueless as emanating from a prisoner, most 
of the generals were weak or cowardly enough to 
obey — an obedience for which they were afterward 
brought to trial by the Mexican congress. In a few 
days, two-thirds of Texas was in our possession. 

The news of these successes brought crowds of 
volunteers to our standard. In three weeks we had 
an army of several thousand men, with which we 
advanced against the Mexicans. There was no more 
fighting, however, for our antagonists had had 
enough, and allowed themselves to be driven from 
one position to another, till, in a month’s time, there 
was not one of them left in the country. 

The struggle was over, and Texas was Free! 


Jtoo It} Soqfyeh) Mexico. 


u A capital place this for our bivouac! ” cried I, 
swinging myself off my mule, and stretching my 
arms and legs, stiffened by a long ride. 

We had halted in a snug ravine, well shaded by 
mahogany trees; the ground was covered with the 
luxuriant vegetation of that tropical region, a little 
stream bubbled and leaped and dashed down one of 
the high rocks that flanked the hollow, and rippled 
away through the tall fern toward the rear of our 
halting-place, at the distance of a hundred yards 
from which the ground was low and shelving. 

“ A capital place this for our bivouac! ” 

My companion nodded. As to the lazy Mexican 
arrieros and servants, they said nothing, but began 
making arrangements for passing the night. Curse 
the fellows! Had they seen us preparing to lie 

down in a swamp, cheek by jowl with an alligator, 
11 * 


250 TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 

I believe they would have offered no word of remon¬ 
strance. Those Mexican half-breeds, half Indian 
half Spaniard, with sometimes a dash of the Negro, 
are themselves so little pervious to the dangers and 
evils of their soil and climate, that they forget that 
Yankee flesh and blood may be rather more suscepti¬ 
ble ; that niguas* and musquitos, and vomito prieto, 
as they call their infernal fever, are no trifles to 
-encounter; without mentioning the snakes, and 
scorpions, and alligators, and other »creatures of the 
kind, which infest their strange, wild, unnatural, and 
yet beautiful country. 

I had come to Mexico in company with Jonathan 
I Rowley, a youth of Virginia raising, six-and-twenty 
■ years of age, six feet two in his stockings, with the 
j limbs of a Hercules, and shoulders like the side of 
a house. It was toward the close Of 1824 ; and the 
recent emancipation of Mexico from the Spanish 
\ yoke, and its self-formation into a republic, had 
given it a new and strong interest to us Americans. 
We had been told much, too, of the beauty of the 

* The nigua is a small but vciy dangerous insect, which fixes itself 
in the feet, bores holes in the skin, and lays its eggs there. These, 
if not extracted, (which extraction, by the by, is a most painful 
operation,) cause first an intolerable itching, and, subsequently, sores 
and ulcers of a sufficiently serious nature to entail the loss of the feet 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


251 


country — out in this we were at first ratüer disap¬ 
pointed y and we reached the capital without having 
seen any thing, except some parts of the province of 
Vera Cruz, that could justify the extravagant enco¬ 
miums we had heard. lavished in the States upon the 
splendid scenery of Mexico. We had not, however, 
to go far southward from the chief city, before the 
character of the country altered, and became such 
as to satisfy our most sanguine expectations. Forests 
of palms, of oranges, citrons, and bananas, filled the 
Valleys : the marshes and low grounds were crowded 
with mahogany-trees, and with immense fern plants, 
in height equal to trees. All nature was on a gigan¬ 
tic scale.—the mountains of an enormous height, 
the face of the country seamed and split by 'barran¬ 
cas or ravines, hundreds, ay, thousands of feet deep, 
and filled with the most abundant and varied veg¬ 
etation. The sky, too, was of the deep glowing blue 
of the tropics, the sort of blue which seems varnished 
or clouded with gold. But this ardent climate and 
teeming soil are not without their disadvantages. 
Vermin and reptiles of all kinds, and the deadly 
fever of those latitudes, render the low lands unin¬ 
habitable for eight months out of the twelve. At 
the same time, there are large districts comparatively 


252 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


free from those plagues—perfect gardens of Eden, 
of such extreme beauty, that the mere act of living 
and breathing among their enchanting scenes be¬ 
comes a positive and real enjoyment. The heart 
leaps with delight, and the soul is elevated, by the 
contemplation of those regions of fairy-like magnifi¬ 
cence. 

The most celebrated among these favored prov¬ 
inces is the valley of Oaxaca, in which two moun¬ 
tainous districts, the Mistecca, and Tzapoteca, bear 
off the palm of beauty. It was through this immense 
valley, nearly three hundred leagues in length, and 
surrounded by the highest mountains in Mexico, that 
we were now journeying. The kind attention of our 
charged’ affaires at the Mexican capital, had pro¬ 
cured us every possible facility in traveling through 
a country whose soil was at that time rarely trodden 
by any but native feet. We had numerous letters to 
the alcaldes and authorities of the towns and villages 
which are sparingly sprinkled over the southern pro¬ 
vinces of Mexico; we were to have escorts when 
necessary; every assistance, protection, and facility, 
were to be afforded us. But' as neither the authori¬ 
ties nor his excellency, Uncle Sam’s envoy, could 
make inns and houses where none existed, it followed 


TWO .NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


253 


that we were often obliged to sleep a ia belle etoile , 
with the sky for a covering. And a right splendid 
roof it was to our bedchamber, that tropical sky, with 
its constellations, all new to us northerns, and every 
star magnified, by the effect of the atmosphere, to an 
incredible size. Mars and Saturn, Yenus and Jupiter, 
had disappeared ; the great and little Bear were still 
to be seen; in the far distance the ship Argo and the 
glowing Centaur; and, beautiful above all, the glo¬ 
rious sign of Christianity, the colossal Southern Cross, 
in all its brightness and sublimity, glittering in sil¬ 
very magnificence out of its setting of dark blue 
crystal. 

We were traveling with a state and degree of lux¬ 
ury that would have excited the contempt of our 
backwoodsmen ; but in. a strange country we thought 
it best to do as the natives did; and accordingly, 
instead of mounting our horses and setting forth 
alone, with our rifles slung on our shoulders, and a 
few handfuls of parched corn and dried flesh in our 
hunting pouches, we journeyed Mexican fashion, with 
a whole string of mules, a guide, a couple of arrieros 
or muleteers, a cook, and one or two other attendants. 
While the latter slung our hammocks to the lower¬ 
most branches of a tree—for in that part of Mexico 


254 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


it is not very safe to sleep upon the ground, on ac¬ 
count of the snakes and vermin—our cocinero lit a * 
fire against the rock, and in a very few minutes an 
iguana which we had shot that day was spitted and 
roasting before it. It was strange to see this hideous 
creature, in shape between a lizard and a dragon, 
twisting and turning in the light of the fire; and its 
disgusting appearance might have taken away some 
people’s appetites; but we knew by experience that 
there is no better eating than a roasted iguana. We 
made a hearty meal off this one, coucluding it with 
a pull at the rum flask, and then clambered into our 
hammocks; the Mexicans stretched themselves on 
the ground with their heads upon the saddles of the 
mules, and both masters and men were soon asleep. 

It was somewhere about midnight when I was 
awakened by an indescribable sensation of oppres¬ 
sion from the surrounding atmosphere. The air 
seemed to be no longer air, but some poisonous ex¬ 
halation that had suddenly arisen and enveloped us. 
From the rear of the ravine in which we lay, billows 
of dark mephitic mist rolled forward, surrounding 
us with their baneful influence. It was the vomito 
prieto , the fever itself, embodied in the shape of a 
fog. At the same moment, and while I was gasping 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


255 


for. breath, a sort of cloud seemed to settle upon me, 
and a thousand stings, like red hot needles, were run 
into my hands, face, neck—into every part of my 
limbs and body that was not triply guarded by cloth- 
. ing. I instinctively stretched forth my hands and 
closed them, clutching by the action, hundreds of 
enormous musquitos, whose droning, singing noise 
now almost deafened me. The air was literally 
filled, with a dense swarm of these insects; and the 
agony caused by their repeated and venomous stings 
was indescribable. It was a real plague of Egypt. 

Rowley, whose hammock was slung some ten yards 
from mine, soon gave tongue: I heard him kicking 
and plunging, spluttering and swearing, with a vigor 
and energy that would have been ludicrous under 
any other circumstancesbut matters were just then 
too serious for a laugh. With the torture, for such 
it was, of the musquito. bites, and the effect of the 
vapors that each moment thickened around me, I 
was already in a high state of fever, alternately 
glowing with heat and shivering with cold, my 
tongue parched, my eyelids throbbing, my brain on 
fire. 

There was a heavy thump upon the ground. It was 
Rowley jumping out of his hammock. “ Damnation! ” 


256 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


roared he, “ where are we ? On the earth, or undei 

the earth?- We must be—we are—in theii 

Mexican purgatory. We are, or there’s no snakes 
in Virginny. Hallo, arrieros! Pablo! Mateo! ” 

At that moment a scream—but a scream of such 
terror and anguish as I never heard before or since — 
a scream as of women in their hour of agony and 
extreme peril—sounded within a few paces of us. 
I sprang out of my hammock; and, as I did so, two 
white and graceful female figures darted or rather 
flew past me, shrieking—and oh! in what heart-rend¬ 
ing tones—for “ Socorro! Socorro! Por Dios! 
Help! Help!” Close upon the heels of the fugi¬ 
tives, bounding and leaping along with enormous 
strides and springs, came three or four dark objects 
which resembled nothing earthly. The human form 
they certainly possessed; but so hideous and horri¬ 
ble, so unnatural and specter-like was their aspect, 
that their sudden encounter in that gloomy ravine, 
and in the almost darkness that surrounded us, 
might well have shaken the strongest nerves. We 
stood for a second, Kowley and myself, paralyzed 
with astonishment at these strange appearances ; but 
another piercing scream restored to us our presence 
of mind. One of the women had either tripped or 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


257 


fallen from fatigue, and she lay, a white heap, upon 
the ground. The drapery of the other was in the 
clutch of one of the specters, or devils, or whatever 
they were, when Rowley, with a cry of horror, 
rushed forward and struck a furious blow at the 
monster with his machete . At the same time, and 
almost without knowing how, I found, myself en¬ 
gaged with another of the creatures. But the 
contest was no equal one. In vain did we stab 
and strike with our machetes; our antagonists were 
covered and defended with a hard bristly hide, 
which our knives, although keen and pointed, had 
great difficulty in penetrating; and on the other 
hand we found ourselves clutched in long sinewy 
arms, terminating in hands and fingers, whose nails 
were as sharp and strong as an eagle’s talons. I felt 
these horrible claws strike into my shoulders as the 
creature seized me, and, drawing me toward him, 
pressed me as in the hug of a bear; while his hide¬ 
ous half-man, half-brute visage was grinning and 
snarling at me, and his long keen* white teeth were 
snapping and gnashing within six inches of my face. 

“God of heaven! This is horrible! Rowley! 
Help!” 

But Rowley, in spite of his gigantic strength, was 


258 TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 

powerless as an infant in the grasp of those terrible 
opponents. He was within a few paces of me, strug¬ 
gling with two of them, and making superhuman 
efforts to regain possession of his knife, which had 
dropped or been wrenched from his hand. And all 
this .time, where were our arrieros? Were they 
attacked likewise? Why did’nt they come and help 

us? All this time!-pshaw! it was no time: it 

all passed in the space of a few seconds, in the cir¬ 
cumference of a few yards, and in the feeble glim¬ 
mering light of the stars, and of the. smouldering 
embers of our fire, which was at some distance 
from us. 

“Ha! that has told!” A stab, dealt with the 
energy of despair, had entered my antagonist’s side. 
But I was like to pay dearly for it. Uttering a 
deafening yell of pain and fury, the monster clasped 
me closer to his foul and loathsome body; his sharp 
claws, dug deeper into my back, seemed to tear up 
my flesh : the agony was insupportable — my eyes 
swam, and my senses almost left me. Just then — 
Crack! crack! Two—four—a dozen musket and 
pistol shots, followed by such a chorus of yellings 
and howlings and unearthly laughter! The creature 
that held me seemed startled—relaxed his grasp 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 259 

slightly. At'that moment a dark arm was passed 
before my face, there was a blinding flash, a yell, 
and I fell to the ground, released from the clutch of 
my opponent. I remember nothing more. Over¬ 
come by pain, fatigue, terror, and the noxious vapors 
of that vile ravine, my senses abandoned me, and I 
swooned away. 

When consciousness returned, I found myself 
lying upon some blankets, under a sort of arbor of 
foliage and flowers. It was broad day; the sun 
shone brightly, the blossoms smelled sweet, the gay- 
plumaged humming-birds darted and shot about in 
the sunbeams like so many animated fragments of 
a prism. A Mexican Indian, standing beside my 
couch, and whose face was * unknown to me, held out 
a cocoa-nutshell containing some liquid, which I 
eagerly seized and drank off. The draught (it was 
a mixture of citron juice* and water) revived me 
greatly; and raising.myself on my elbow, although 
with much pain and difficulty, I looked around, and 
beheld a scene of bustle and life which to me was 
quite unintelligible. Upon the shelving hillside on, 
which I lay, a sort of encampment was established. 
A number of mules and horses wandered about at 
liberty, or, fastened to trees and bushes, ate the 


260 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


forage that had been collected and laid before them. 
Some were provided with handsome and commodious 
saddles; others had pack-saddles, intended appar¬ 
ently for the conveyance of numerous sacks, cases, 
and wallets, that were scattered about on the ground. 
Several muskets and rifles rested here and there 
against the trees; and a dozen or fifteen men were 
occupied in various ways—some filling up saddle¬ 
bags or fastening luggage on the mules, others lying 
on the ground smoking, one party surrounding a fire 
at which cooking was going on. At a short distance 
from my bed was another similarly composed couch, 
occupied by a man muffled up in blankets, and hav¬ 
ing his back turned toward me, so that I was unable 
to obtain a view of his features. 

“What is all this? Where am I? Where is Bow- 
ley—our guide—where are they all?” 

“Jo entiendo ,” answered my brown-visaged Gan¬ 
ymede, shaking his head, and with a good-humored 
smile. 

“ Adonde estamos f ” 

“ En el volle Chihuatan , en el gran volle de Oax¬ 
aca y Guatemala; diez leguas de Tarif a? —In the 
valley of Chihuatan ; ten leagues from Tarifa. 

The figure lying on the bed near me now made a 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


263 


movement, and turned round. What could it be? Its 
face was like a lump of raw flesh streaked and stained 
with blood. No features were distinguishable. 

“ Who are you? Who are you?” cried I. 

“ Rowley,” it answered : “ Rowley I was, at least, 
if those devils have n’t changed me. 

“Then changed you they have,” cried I, with a 
wild laugh. “Good God! have they scalped him 
alive, or what? That is not Rowley.” 

The Mexican, who had gone to give some drink 
to the creature claiming to be Rowley, now opened 
a valise that lay on the ground a short distance off, 
and took out a small looking-glass, which he brought 
and held before my eyes. It was then only that I 
called past occurrences to mind, and understood how 
it was that the mask of human flesh lying near me 
might indeed be Rowley. He was, if any thing, 
less altered than myself. My eyes were almost 
closed; my lips, nose, and whole face swollen to an 
immense size, and perfectly unrecognizable. I invob 
untarily recoiled in dismay and disgust at my own 
appearance. The horrible night passed in the ravine, 
the foul and suffocating vapors, the furious attack of 
the musquitos — the bites of which, and the conse¬ 
quent fever and inflammation, had thus disfigured 


262 TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 

us—all recurred to our memory. But the women 
the fight with the monsters — beasts — Indians —• 
whatever they were, that was still incomprehensible 
It was no dream: my back and shoulders still 
smarted from the wounds inflicted on them by the 
claws of those creatures, and I now felt that various 
parts of my limbs and body were swathed in wet 
bandages. I was mustering my Spanish to ask- an 
explanation of the Mexican who stood beside me, 
when I suddenly perceived a great bustle in the 
encampment, and saw everybody crowding to meet 
a number of persons who just then emerged from the 
high fern, and among whom I recognized our arrieros 
and servants. The new-comers were grouped around 
something which they dragged along the ground; 
several women—for the most part young and grace¬ 
ful creatures, their slender, supple forms muffled in 
the flowing picturesque rebozos and frazadas — pre¬ 
ceded the party, looking back occasionally with an 
expression of mingled horror and triumph; all with 
rosaries in their hands, the beads of which ran rapidly 
through their fingers, while they occasionally kissed 
the cross, or made the sign on their breasts or in the air. 
• “ Un Zarribo muerto! Un Zarnbo muerto /” 
shouted they as they drew near. . 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


263 


“ Han matado un Zambo 7 They have killed a 
Zambo!” repeated my attendant in a .tone of exul¬ 
tation. 

The party came close up to where Rowley and I 
lay; the women stood aside, jumping and laugh¬ 
ing and crossing themselves, and crying out* “ Un 
Zambo! Un Zambo muerto /” the group opened, 
and we saw, lying dead upon the ground, one of 
our horrible antagonists of the preceding night. 

“Good God, what is that?” cried Rowley and I, 
with one breath. “ Un demonio ! a devil! ” 

“ Perdonen vds , Senores—Un Zambo mono — 
muy terrible's los Zambos. Terrible monkeys these 
Zambos.” 

“ Monkeys! ” cried I. 

“ Monkeys! ” repeated Rowley, raising himself up 
into a sitting posture by the help of his hands. 
“ Monkeys—apes — by Jove! We 5 ve' been fighting 
with monkeys, and it ’s they who have mauled us in 
this way. Well,. Jonathan Rowley, think of youi 
coming from old Yirginny to Mexico to be whipped 
by a monkey. It’s gone goose with your character. 
You can never show your face in the States again. 
Whipped by an ape! — an ape, with a tail and 
a hairy-O Lord! Whipped by a monkey! ”• 


264 


TWO EIGHTS IN toOUTHEKN MEXICO. 


And the ludicrousness of the notion overcoming 
his mortification, and the pain of his wounds and 
bites, he sank back upon the bed of blankets and 
banana leaves, laughing as well as his swollen face 
and sausage-looking lips would allow him. 

It was as much as I could do to persuade myself 
that the carcass lying before me had never been in¬ 
habited by a human soul. It was humiliating to 
behold the close affinity between this huge ape and 
our own species. Had it not been for the tail, I 
could have fancied I saw the dead body of some 
prairie hunter' dressed in skins. It was exactly like 
a powerful, well-grown man; and even the expres¬ 
sion of the face had more of. bad human passions 
than of animal instinct. The feet and thighs were 
those of a muscular man; the legs rather too curved 
and calfless, though I have seen Negroes who had 
scarcely better ones; the tendons of the hands stood 
out like whipcords; the nails were as long as 
a tiger’s claws. No wonder that we had been 
overmatched in our struggle with the brutes. No 
man could have withstood them. The arms of 
this one were like packets of cordage, all muscle, 
nerve, and sinew; and the hands were- clasped to¬ 
gether with such force, that the efforts of eight or ten 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


265 


Mexicans and Indians were insufficient to disunite 
them. 

Whatever remained to be cleared up in our night’s 
adventures was now soon explained. Our guide, 
through ignorance or thoughtlessness, had allowed 
us to take up our bivouac within a very unsafe dis¬ 
tance of one of the most pestiferous swamps in the 
whole province. Shortly after we had fallen asleep, 
a party of Mexican travelers had arrived, and estab¬ 
lished themselves within a few hundred yards of us, 
but on a rising ground, where they avoided the me¬ 
phitic vapors and the musquitos which had so tor¬ 
tured Rowley and myself. In the night, two of the 
women, having ventured a short distance from the 
encampment, were surprised by the zambos, or huge ^ 
man-apes, common in some parts of Southern Mex¬ 
ico ; and finding themselves cut off from their 
friends, had ffed they knew not whither, fortunately 
for them in the direction of our bivouac. Their 
screams, our shouts, and the yellings and diabolical 
laughter of the zambos, had brought the Mexicans 
to our assistance. The monkeys showed no fight 
after the first volley ; several of them must have 
been wounded, but only the one now lying before us 

had remained upon the field. 

12 


266 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


The Mexicans we had fallen among were from 
the Tzapoteca, principally cochineal gatherers, and 
kinder-hearted people there could not well be. They 
seemed to think they never could do enough for 
us — the women especially, and more particularly 
the two whom we had endeavored to rescue from the 
power of the apes. These latter certainly had cause 
to be grateful. It made us shudder to think of their 
fate had they not met with us. It was the delay 
caused by our attacking the brutes that had given 
the Mexicans time to come up. 

Every attention was shown to us. We were fanned 
with palm-leaves, refreshed with cooling drinks, our 
wounds carefully dressed and bandaged, our heated, 
irritated, musquito-bitten limbs and faces washed 
with balsam and the juice of herbs : more tender and 
careful nurses it would be impossible to find. We 
soon felt better, and were able to sit up and look 
about us, carefully avoiding, however, to look at each 
other, for we could not get reconciled to the horrible 
appearance of our swollen, bloody, disgusting fea¬ 
tures. From our position on the rising ground, we 
had a full view over the frightful swamp at the en¬ 
trance of which all our misfortunes had happened. 
There it lay, steaming like a great kettle; endless 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


267 


mists rising from it, out of which appeared here and 
there the crown of some mighty tree towering above 
the banks of vapor. To the left were cliffs and crags, 
which had the appearance of being baseless, and of 
swimming on the top of the mist. Yultures and 
carrion-birds circled screaming above the huge cal¬ 
dron, or perched on the tops of the tall palms, which 
looked like enormous umbrellas, or like the roofs of 
Chinese summer-houses. Out of the swamp itself 
proceeded the yellings, snarlings, and growlings, of 
the alligators, bull-frogs, and myriads of unclean 
beasts that it harbored. 

The air was unusually sultry and oppressive: 
from time to time the rolling of distant thunder was 
audible. We could hear the Mexicans consulting 
among themselves as to the propriety of continuing 
their journey, to which our suffering state seemed to 
be the chief obstacle. From what we could collect 
of their discourse, they were unwilling to leave us 
in this dangerous district, and in our helpless condi¬ 
tion, with a guide and attendants who were either 
untrustworthy or totally incompetent to lead us 
aright. Yet there seemed to be pressing necessity 
for continuing the march ; and presently some of the 
older Mexicans, who appeared to have the direction 


268 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


of the caravan, came up to us and inquired how we 
felt, and if we thought we were able to travel; add¬ 
ing that, from the signs on the earth and in the air, 
they feared a storm, and that the nearest habitation 
or shelter was at many leagues’ distance. Thanks to 
the remedies that had been applied, our sufferings 
were much diminished. We felt weak and hungry ; 
and telling the Mexicans we should be ready to pro¬ 
ceed in half-an-hour, we desired our servants to get 
us something to eat. But our new friends forestalled 
them, and brought us a large piece of iguana, with 
roasted bananas, and cocoa-nutshell cups full of cof¬ 
fee, to all of which Rowley and I applied ourselves 
with much gusto. Meanwhile our muleteers and the 
Tzapotecans were busy packing their beasts and 
making ready for the start. 

We had not eaten a dozen mouthfuls when we saw 
a man running down the hill with a branch in each 
hand. As soon as he appeared, a number of the 
Mexicans left their occupations and hurried to meet 
him. 

“ Siete hovas !” shouted the man. “Seven hours 
and no more! ” 

“No more than seven hours!” echoed the Tzapote¬ 
cans, in tones of the wildest terror and alarm. w La 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


269 


Santissima nos guarde ! It will take more than ten 
to reach the village.” 

“What’s all this about?” said I, with my mouth 
full, to Rowley. 

“Don’t know—some of their Indian tricks, I 
suppose.” 

“ Que es esto t ” asked I carelessly. “ What ’s the 
matter?” 

“ Que es esto ! ” repeated an old Tzapotecan, with 
long gray hair curling from under his sombrero , and 
a withered but finely marked countenance. “ Las 
aguas! El ouracan! In seven hours the deluge 
and the hurricane! ” 

“ Vamos, por la Santissima! For the blessed 
Yirgin’s sake, let us be gone! ” cried a dozen of the 
Mexicans, pushing two green boughs into our very 
faces. 

“What are those branches?” 

“From the tempest-tree—the prophet of the storm,” 
was the reply. 

And Tzapotecans and women, arrieros and ser¬ 
vants, ran about in the utmost terror and confusion, 
with cries of “ Vamos , paso redoblado ! Off with 
us, or we are all lost, man and beast,” and saddling, 
packing, and scrambling on their mules. And before 


270 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


Rowley and I knew where we were, they tore us 
away from our iguana and coffee, and hoisted and 
pushed us into our saddles. Such a scene of bustle 
and desperate hurry I never beheld. The place where 
the encampment had been was alive with men and 
women, horses and mules, shouting, shrieking, talk¬ 
ing, neighing, and kicking ; but with all the con¬ 
fusion there was little time lost, and, in less than 
three minutes from the first alarm being given, we 
were scampering away over stock and stone, in a 
long, wild, irregular train. 

The rapidity and excitement of our ride had the 
effect of calming our various sufferings, or of making 
us forget them; and we soon thought no more of 
the fever, or of stings or mosquito bites. It was a 
ride for life or death, and our horses stepped out 
as if they knew how much depended on their 
exertions. 

In the hurry and confusion we had been mounted 
on horses instead of our own mules ; and splendid 
animals they were. I doubt if our Virginians could 
beat them, and that is saying a great deal. There 
was no effort or straining in their movements; it 
was mere play to them to surmount the numerous 
difficulties we encountered on our road. Over 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


271 


mountain and valley, swamp and barranca, always 
the same steady surefootedness — crawling like cats 
over the soft places, gliding like snakes up the 
steep rocky ascents, and stretching out with prodi¬ 
gious energy when the ground was favorable; yet 
with such easy action that we scarcely felt the 
motion. We should have sat in the roomy Spanish 
saddles as comfortably as in arm-chairs, had it not 
been for the numerous obstacles in our path, which 
was strewed with fallen trees and masses of rock. 
We were obliged perpetually to stoop and bow our 
heads to avoid the creeping plants that swung and 
twined and twisted across the track, intermingled 
often with huge thorns as long as a man’s arm. 
These latter stuck out from the trees on which they 
grew like so many brown bayonets; and a man 
who had run up against one of them would have 
been transfixed by it as surely as though it had been 
of steel. We pushed on, in Indian file, following 
the two guides, who kept at the head of the party, 
and making our way through places where a wild¬ 
cat would have difficulty in passing; through thickets 
of mangroves, mimosas, and tall fern, and cactuses 
with their thorny leaves full twenty feet long; the 
path turning and winding all the while. Now and 


272 


TWO NIGIITS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


then a momentary improvement in the nature of the 
ground enabled us to catch a glimpse of the whole 
column of march. We were struck by its picturesque 
appearance, the guides in front acting as pioneers, 
and looking out on all sides as cautiously and anx¬ 
iously as though they had been soldiers expecting 
an ambuscade ; the graceful forms of the women 
bowing and bending over their horses’ manes, and 
often leaving fragments of their mantillas and rebozos 
on the branches and thorns of the labyrinth through 
which we struggled. 'But it was no time to indulge 
in contemplation of the picturesque, and of this we 
were constantly made aware by the anxious voci¬ 
ferations of the Mexicans. “ Vamos! Por Dios , 
vamos ! ” cried they, if the slightest symptom of flag¬ 
ging became visible in the movements of any of 
the party ; and at the words, our horses, as though 
gifted with understanding, pushed forward with 
renewed vigor and alacrity. 

On we went—up hill and down, in the depths of 
the valley and over the soft fetid swamp. That 
valley of Oaxaca has just as much right to be 
called a valley as our Alleghanies would have to 
be called bottoms. In the States we should call it 
a chain of mountains. Out of it rise at every step 


/ 

TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHEBN MEXICO. 273 

hills a good two thousand feet above the level of the 
valley, and four or five thousand above that of the 
sea; but these are lost sight of, and become flat 
ground by force of comparison — that is, when 
compared with the gigantic mountains that surround 
the valley on all sides like a frame. And what a 
splendid frame they compose, those colossal moun¬ 
tains, in their rich variety of form and coloring! — 
here shining out like molten gold, there changing to 
a dark bronze; covered lower down with various 
shades of green, and with the crimson and purple, 
and violet and bright yellow, and azure and dazzling 
white, of the millions of paulinias and convolvuluses 
and other flowering plants, from among which rise 
the stately palm-trees, full a hundred feet high, their 
majestic green turbans towering like sultans’ heads 
above the luxuriance of the surrounding flower and 
vegetable world. Then the mahogany-trees, the 
chicozapotes, and again in the barrancas the cande- 
labra-like cactuses, and higher up the knotted and 
majestic live oak. An incessant change of plants, 
trees, and climate. We had been five hours in the 
saddle, and had already changed our climate three 
times; passed from the temperate zone, the tier-rn. 

templadds into the torrid heat of the tierra muy 

12 * 


274 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


caliente . It was in the latter temperature that we 
found ourselves at the expiration of the above time, 
dripping with perspiration, roasting and stewing 
in the heat. We were surrounded by a new world 
of plants and animals. The borax and mangroves 
and fern were here as lofty as forest-trees, while the 
trees themselves shot up like steeples. In the thick¬ 
ets around us were numbers of black tigers — we 
saw dozens of those cowardly, sneaking beasts — 
iguanas full three feet long, squirrels double the 
size of any we had ever seen, and panthers, and 
wild pigs, and jackals, and apes and monkeys of 
every tribe and description, who threatened and 
grinned and chattered at us from the branches of 
the trees. But what is that yonder to the right, that 
stands out so white against the dark blue sky and 
the bronze-colored rocks? A town — Quidricovi, 
d’ye call it? 

We had now ridden a good five or six leagues, 
and began to think we had escaped the aguas or 
deluge, of which the prospect had so terrified our 
friends the Tzapotecans. Rowley calculated, as he 
went puffing and grumbling along, that it wouldn’t 
do any harm to let our beasts draw breath for a 
minute or two. The scrambling and constant change 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


275 


of pace rendered necessary by the nature of the 
road, or rather track, was certainly dreadfully fatigu 
ing both to man and horse. As for conversation, it 
was out of the question. We had plenty to do to 
avoid getting our necks broken, or our teeth knocked 
out, as we struggled along, up and down barrancas, 
through marshes and thickets, over rocks and fallen 
trees, and through mimosas and bushes laced and 
twined together with thorns and creeping plants—all 
which would have been beautiful in a picture, but 
was most infernally unpoetical in reality. 

u Vamos! Por la Santissima Madre , vamos /” 
yelled our guides, and the cry was taken up by the 
Mexicans, in a shrill, wild tone that jarred strangely 
upon our ears, and made the horses start and strain 
forward. Hurra! on we go, through thorns and 
bushes, which scratch and flog us, and tear our 
clothes to rags. We shall be naked if this lasts long. 
It is a regular race. In front the two guides, stoop¬ 
ing, nodding, bowing, crouching down, first to one 
side, then to the other, like a couple of mandarins 
or Indian idols—behind them a Tzapotecan in his 
picturesque capa, then the women, then more Tzapo- 
tecans. There is little thought about precedence or 
ceremony; and Kowley and I, having been in the 


276 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


least hurry to start, find ourselves bringing up the 
rear of the whole column. 

“ Vamos! Por la Santissima! Las aguas , las 
aguas /” is again yelled by twenty voices. Hang the 
fools! Can’t they be quiet with their eternal vamos f 
We can have barely two leagues more to go to reach 
the rancho , or village, they were talking of, and 
appearances are not as yet very alarming. It is 
getting rather thick, to be sure ; but that’s nothing, 
only the exhalations from the swamp, for we are 
again approaching one of those cursed swamps, and 
can hear the music of the alligators and bull-frogs. 
There they are, the beauties; a couple of them are 
taking a peep at us, sticking their elegant heads and 
long, delicate snouts out of the slime and mud. The 
neighborhood is none of the best; but luckily the 
path is firm and good, carefully made, evidently by 
Indian hands. Hone but Indians could live and 
labor and travel habitually, in such a pestilential 
atmosphere. Thank God! we are out of it at last. 
Again on firm forest ground, amidst the magnificent 
monotony of the eternal palms and mahogany-trees. 
But—see there! 

A new a) 1 surpassingly beautiful landscape burst 
suddenly u: our view, seeming to dance in the 


TWO NIGHTS IN BOUT HERN MEXICO. 27** 

transparent atmosphere. On either side, mountains, 
those on the left in deep shadow, those on the right 
standing forth like colossal figures of light, in a 
beauty and splendor that seemed really supernatural, 
every tree, every branch, shining in its own vivid and 
most glorious coloring. There lay the valley in its 
tropical luxuriance and beauty, one sheet of bloom 
and blossom up to the topmost crown of the palm- 
trees, that shot up, some of them, a hundred -and 
fifty and a hundred and eighty feet high. Thousands 
and millions of convolvuluses, paulinias, bignonias, 
dendrobiums, climbing from the fern to the tree 
trunks, from the trunks to the branches and summits 
of the trees, and thence again falling gracefully 
down, and catching and clinging to the mangroves 
and blocks of granite. It burst upon us like a scene 
of enchantment, as we emerged from the darkness 
of the forest into the dazzling light and coloring of 
that glorious valley. 

“ Misericordia, irvisericordia! Audi nos pecca- 
dors ! Misericordia , las aguas ! ” suddenly screamed 
and exclaimed the Mexicans in various intonations 
of terror and despair. We looked around us. What 
can be the matter? We see nothing. Nothing, ex¬ 
cept that from just behind those two mountains. 


278 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


which project like promontories into the valley, a 
cloud begins to rise. “What is it? What is wrong?” 
A dozen voices answered us — 

“ P or la Santa Virgen , for the holy Virgin’s sake, 
on, on! There is no time for words. We have still 
two leagues to go, and in one hour comes the flood.” 

And they recommenced their howling, yelling 
chorus of “ Misericordia! Audi nos peccadores! ” 
and “ Santissima Virgen , and Todos santos y 
angeles ! ” 

“Are the fellows mad?” shouted Kowley, “What 
if the water does come? It won’t swallow you. A 
ducking more or less is no such great matter. You’re 
not made of sugar or salt. Many’s the drenching 
I’ve had in the States, and none the worse for it. 
Yet our rains are no child’s play neither.” 

On looking round us, however, we were involunta¬ 
rily struck with the sudden change in the appearance 
of the heavens. The usual golden blue color of the 
sky was gone, and had been replaced by a dull, 
gloomy gray. The quality of the air had also 
changed; it was neither very warm nor very cold, 
but it had lost its lightness and elasticity, and op¬ 
pressed and weighed us down. Presently we saw 
the dark cloud rise gradually from behind the hills, 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


279 


completely clearing their summits, and then sweep 
along until it hung over the valley, in form and 
appearance like some monstrous night-moth, resting 
the tips of its enormous wings on the mountains 
on either side. To our right we still saw the roofs 
and walls of Quidricovi, apparently at a very short 
distance. 

“Why not go to Quidricovi?” shouted I to the 
guides — u we cannot be far off.” 

“More than five leagues,” answered the men, 
shaking their heads and looking up anxiously at the 
huge moth, which still crept and crawled on, each 
moment darker and more threatening. It was like 
a frightful monster, or the fabled Kraken, working 
itself along by its claws, which were struck deep 
into the mountain-wall on either side of its line of 
progress, and casting its hideous shadow over hill 
and dale, forest and valley, clothing them in gloom 
and darkness. To our right hand and behind us, 
the mountains were still of a glowing golden red, 
lighted up by the sun; but to the left, and in our 
front, all was black and dark. With the same 
glance we beheld the deepest gloom and the brightest 
day, meeting each other, but not mingling. It was 
a strange and ominous sight. 


280 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


Ominous enough ; and the brute creation feel it 
as well as ourselves. The chattering parrots, the 
hopping, gibbering, quarrelsome apes, all the birds 
and beasts, scream, and cry, and flutter, and spring 
about, as though seeking a refuge from some impend¬ 
ing: danger. Even our horses tremble and groan — 
refuse to go on, start and snort. The whole animal 
world is in commotion—seized with an overwhelming 
panic. The forest teems with inhabitants. Whence 
come they, all these living things ? On every side is 
heard the howling and snarling of beasts, the fright¬ 
ened cries and chirpings of birds. The vultures and 
turkey-buzzards, which a few minutes before circled 
high in the air, now scream amidst the branches of the 
mahogany-trees; every creature that has life is run¬ 
ning, scampering, flying—apes and tigers, birds and 
creeping things. 

“ Vamos, por la Santissima! On! or we are all 
lost.” 

And we ride, we rush along—neither masses of 
rock, nor fallen trees, nor thorns and brambles, check 
our wild career. Over every thing we go, leaping, 
scrambling, plunging, riding like desperate men, 
flying from a danger of which the nature is not 
clearly defined, but which we feel to be great and 



TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


281 


imminent. It is a frightful, terror-striking foe, that 
huge night-moth, which comes ever nearer, growing 
each moment bigger and blacker. Looking behind 
us, we catch one last glimpse of the red and blood¬ 
shot sun, which the next instant disappears behind 
the edge of the mighty cloud. 

Still we push on. Hosts of tigers, and monkeys 
both large and small, and squirrels and jackals, come 
close up to us as if seeking shelter, and then, finding 
none, retreat howling into the forest. There is not a 
breath of air stirring, yet all nature—plants and trees, 
men and beasts — quivers and trembles with appre¬ 
hension. Our horses pant and groan as they bound 
along with dilated nostrils and glaring eyes, shaking 
in every limb, sweating at every pore, half wild 
with terror; giving springs and leaps that more 
resemble those of a hunted tiger than of a horse. 

The prayers and exclamations of the terrified 
Mexicans continued without intermission, whispered 
and shrieked and groaned in every variety of intona¬ 
tion. The earthly hue of intense terror was upon 
every countenance. For some moments a deathlike 
stillness, an unnatural calm, reigned around us : it 
was as though the elements held their breath, and 
collected their energies for some mighty outbreak. 


282 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


Then came a low, indistinct, moaning sound, that 
seemed to issue from the bowels of the earth. The 
warning was significant. 

“Halt! stop!” shouted we to the guides. “Stop! 
and let us seek shelter from the storm.” 

“On! for God’s sake, on! or we are lost,” was the 
reply. 

Thank Heaven! the path gets wider—we come to 
a descent—it leads us out of the forest. If the storm 
came on while we were among the trees, we might be 
crushed to death by the falling branches. We are 
close to a barranca. 

“Alerto ! Alerto ! ” shrieked the Mexicans. “ Ma- 
dredeDios! Dios! Dios!” 

And well might they call to God for help in that 
awful moment. The gigantic night-moth gaped and 
shot forth tongues of fire — a ghastly white flame, that 
contrasted strangely and horribly with the dense black 
cloud whence it issued. There was a peal of thunder 
that shook the earth, then a pause, during which 
nothing was heard but the panting of our horses as 
they dashed across the barranca, and strained up 
the steep side of a knoll or hillock. The cloud again 
opened; for a second every thing was lighted up. 
Another thunder-clap, and then, as though the gates 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


283 


oi its prison had been suddenly burst, the tempest 
came forth in its might and fury, breaking, crushing, 
and sweeping away all that opposed it. The trees of 
the forest staggered and tottered for a moment, as if 
making an effort to bear up against the storm ; but it 
was in vain : the next instant, with a report like that 
of ten thousand cannon, whole acres of mighty trees 
were snapped off, their branches shivered, their roots 
torn up; it was no longer a forest but a chaos, an 
ocean of boughs and tree-trunks, that were tossed 
about like the waves of the sea, or thrown into the 
air like straws. The atmosphere was darkened with * 
dust, and leaves, and branches. 

“God be merciful to us! Rowley! where are you? 
!No answer. What is become of them all?” 

A second blast more furious than the first. Can 
the mountains resist it? will they stand? By the 
Almighty! they do not. The earth trembles; the 
hillock, on the lee-side of which we are, rocks and 
shakes. The air is thick and suffocating — full of 
dust and saltpeter and sulphur. We are like to choke. 
All around is dark as night. We see nothing, hear 
nothing but the howling of the hurricane, and the 
thunder and rattle of falling trees and shivered 
branches. 


284 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


Suddenly the hurricane ceases, and all is hushed ; 
but so suddenly, that the change is startling and un¬ 
natural. No' sound is audible save the creaking and 
moaning of the trees with which the ground is cum¬ 
bered. It is like a sudden pause in a battle, when the 
roar of cannon and clang of charging squadrons cease, 
and naught is heard but the groaning of the wounded, 
the agonized sobs and gasps of the dying. 

The report of a pistol is heard ; then another, a 
third, hundreds, thousands of them. It is the flood, 
las aguas; the shots are drops of rain ; but such 
drops! each as big as a hen’s egg. "They strike with 
the force of enormous hailstones—stunning and 
blinding us. The next moment there is no distinc¬ 
tion of drops, the windows of heaven are opened; it 
is no longer rain or flood, but a sea, a cataract, a 
Niagara. Theliillock on which I stand, undermined 
by the waters, gives way and crumbles under me ; in 
ten seconds’ time I find myself in the barranca, which 
is converted into a river, off my horse, which is gone 
I know not whither. The only person I see near me 
is Rowley* also dismounted and struggling against 
the stream, which, already up to our waists, sweeps 
along with it huge branches, and entire trees, that 
threaten each moment to carry us away with them, 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


285 


jt to crush us against the rocks. We avoid these 
dangers, God knows how, make violent efforts to 
stem the torrent and gain the side of the barranca ; 
although, even should we succeed, it is so steep that 
we can scarcely hope to climb it without assistance. 
And whence is that assistance to come? Of the 
Mexicans we see or hear nothing. Doubtless they 
are all drowned or dashed to pieces. They were 
higher up on the hillock than we were, must conse¬ 
quently have been swept down with more force, and 
were probably carried away by the torrent. Nor can 
we hope for a better fate. Wearied by our ride, 
weakened by the fever and sufferings of the preced¬ 
ing night, we are in no condition to strive much 
longer with the furious elements. For one step that 
we gain, we lose two. The waters rise; already they 
are nearly to our arm-pits. It is in vain to resist. 
Our fate is sealed. 

“Kowley, all is over—let us die like men. God 
have mercy on our souls! ” 

Eowley was a few paces higher up the barranca. 
He made me no answer, but looked at me with a 
calm, cold, and yet somewhat regretful smile upon his 
countenance. Then all at once he ceased his efforts 
to resist the stream and gain the bank, folded his 


286 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


arms on liis breast and gave a look up and around 
him, as though to bid farewell to the world he was 
about to leave. The current was sweeping him 
rapidly down toward me, when a wild hurrah burst 
from his lips, and he suddenly recommenced his 
struggles against the waters, striving violently to 
retain a footing on the slippery, uneven bed of the 
stream. 

“ Tenga! Tenga /” screamed a dozen voices, that 
seemed to proceed from the spirits of the air ; and at 
the same moment something whistled about my ears 
and struck me a smart blow across the face. With 
the instinct of a drowning man, I clutched the lasso 
that had been thrown to me. Rowley was at my 
elbow and seized it also. It was immediately drawn 
tight, and by its aid we gained the bank, and ascended 
the side of the barranca, composed of rugged, decliv¬ 
itous rocks, affording but scanty foothold. God grant 
the lasso prove tough! The strain on it is fearful. 
Rowley is a good fifteen stone, and I am no feather; 
and in some parts of our perilous ascent the rocks 
are almost as perpendicular and smooth as a wall of 
masonry, and we are obliged to cling with our whole 
weight to the lasso, which stretches and cracks, and 
seems to grow visibly thinner. Nothing but a strip 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


287 


of twisted cowhide between us and a frightful, ag¬ 
onizing death on the sharp rocks and in the foaming 
waters below. But the lasso holds good, and now the 
chief peril is past: we get footing—a point of rock, 
or a tree-root to clutch at. Another strain up this 
rugged slope of granite, another pull at the lasso ; 
a leap, a last violent effort, and— Viva !—we are 
seized under the arms, dragged up, held upon our 
feet for a moment, and then—we sink exhausted to 
the ground in the midst of the Tzapotecans, mules, 
arrieros, guides, and women, who are sheltered from 
the storm in a sort of natural cavern. 

At the moment at which the hillock gave way under 
Rowley and myself, who were a short distance in rear 
of the party, the Mexicans succeeded in attaining firm 
footing on a broad, rocky ledge, a shelf of the precipice 
that flanked the barranca. Upon this ledge, which 

gradually widened into a platform, they found them- 

\ 

selves in safety under some projecting crags that 
sheltered them completely from the tempest. Thence 
they looked down upon the barranca, where they de¬ 
scried Rowley and myself struggling for our lives in 
the roaring torrent; and thence, by knotting several 
lassos together, they were able to give us the opportune 
aid which had rescued us from our desperate situation. 


288 TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 

But whether this aid had come soon enough to save 
our lives was still a question, or at least for some time 
appeared to be so. The life was driven out of our 
bodies by all we had gone through: we could not 
move a linger, and lay helpless and motionless, with 
only a glimmering, indistinct perception, not amount¬ 
ing to consciousness, of what was going on around 
us. Fatigue, fever, and the sufferings of all kinds 
we had endured in the course of the last twenty 
hours, had completely exhausted and broken us down. 

The storm did not last long in its violence, but 
swept onward, leaving a broad track of desolation 
behind it. The Mexicans recommenced their journey, 
with the exception of four or live who remained with 
us and our arrieros and servants. The village to 
which we were proceeding was not above a league 
off; but even that short distance Rowley and myself 
were in no condition to accomplish. The kind-hearted 
Tzapotecans made us swallow cordials, stripped off 
our drenched and tattered garments, and wrapped us 
in an abundance of blankets. We fell into a deep 
sleep, which lasted all that evening and the greater 
part of the night, and so much refreshed us that 
about an hour before daybreak we were able to 
resume our march — at a slow pace, it is true, and 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


289 


suffering grievously in every part of our bruised and 
wounded limbs and bodies, at each jolt or rough 
motion of the mules, upon which we clung rather 
than sat. 

Our path lay over hill and dale, perpetually rising 
and falling. We soon got out of the district or zone 
that had been swept by the preceding day’s hurri¬ 
cane, and after nearly an hour’s ride, we paused, on 
the crest of a deep descent, at whose foot, our guides 
informed us, lay the land of promise, the long-looked- 
for ranclio. While the muleteers saw to the girths of 
their beasts, and gave the due equilibrium to the bag¬ 
gage, before commencing the downward march, Row- 
ley and I sat upon our mules, wrapped in large Mexican 
eapas, gazing at the morning-star as it sank down, and 
grew gradually paler and fainter. Suddenly the sky 
brightened, and a brilliant beam appeared — a point no 
bigger than a star, yet not a star, but of far rosier hue. 
The next moment a second sparkling spot appeared, 
near to the first, which now swelled out into a sort of 
fiery tongue, that licked round the silvery summit ot 
the snow-clad mountain. As we gazed, five — ten — 
twenty hill-tops were tinged with the same rose-colored 
glow; the next moment they were like fiery banners 

spread out against the heavens, while sparkling tongues- 
13 


290 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


and rays of golden light flashed and flamed round them, 
springing meteor-like from one mountain summit to 
another, lighting them up like a succession of beacons. 
Scarcely five minutes had elapsed since the distant 
pinnacles of the mountains had appeared to us as 
huge, phantom-like figures of a silvery white, dimly 
marked out upon a dark, star-spangled ground ; now 
the whole immense chain blazed like volcanoes cov¬ 
ered with glowing lava, rising out of the darkness 
that still lingered on their flanks and bases, visible 
ana wonderful witnesses to the omnipotence of Him 
who said, “Let there be light, and there was light.” 

Above, all was broad day, flaming sunlight; below, 
all black night. Here and there streams of light 
burst through clefts and openings in the mountains, 
and then ensued an extraordinary kind of conflict. 
The shades of darkness lived and moved, struggled 
against the bright beams that fell among them and 
broke their masses, forcing them down the wooded 
heights, tearing them asunder and dispersing them 
like tissues of cobweb; so that, successively, as by 
a stroke of enchantment, were revealed first the deep 
indigo blue of the tamarinds and chicozapotes, then 
the bright green of the sugar-canes, lower down the 
darker green of the nopal-trees, lower still the white 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


291 


and green and gold and bright yellow of the orange 
and citron groves, and lowest of all, the stately fan- 
palms, and date-palms, and bananas—all glittering 
with millions of dewdrops, that covered them like a 
gauze vail embroidered with diamonds and rubies. 
And still, in the very next valley, all was darkness. 

We sat silent and motionless, gazing at this scene 
of enchantment. 

Presently the sun rose higher, and a flood of light 
illumined the whole valley, which lay some few hun¬ 
dred feet below us — a perfect garden, such as no 
northern imagination could picture forth; a garden 
of sugar-canes, cotton, and nopal-trees, intermixed 
with thickets of pomegranate and strawberry-trees, 
and groves of orange, fig, and lemon, giants of their 
kind, shooting up to a far greater height than the oak 
attains in the States — every tree a perfect hothouse, 
a pyramid of flowers, covered with bloom and blos¬ 
som to its topmost spray. All was light, and fresh¬ 
ness, and beauty; every object danced and rejoiced 
in the clear, elastic, golden atmosphere. It was an 
earthly paradise, fresh from the hand of its Creator, 
and at first we could discover no sign of man or his 
works. Presently, however, we discerned the village, 
lying almost at our feet, the small stone houses 


292 


TWO NIGHTS IN SOUTHERN MEXICO. 


overgrown with flowers and imbedded in trees; so 
that scarcely a square foot of roof or wall was to be 
seen. Even the church was concealed in a garland of 
orange-trees, and had lianas and star-flowered creep¬ 
ers climbing over and dangling from it, up as high 
as the slender cross that surmounted its square white 
tower. As we gazed, the first sign of life appeared 
in the village. A puff of blue smoke rose curling 
and spiral from a chimney, and the matin bell rung 
out its summons to prayer. Our Mexicans fell on 
their knees and crossed themselves, repeating their 
Ave-Marias. We involuntarily took off our hats, 
and whispered a thanksgiving to the God who had 
been with us in the hour of peril, and was now so 
visible to us in his works. 

The Mexicans rose from their knees. 

“ Vamos! Senores” said one of them, laying his 
hand on the bridle of my mule. “ To the rancho , 
to breakfast.” 

We rode slowly down into the valley. 


Si §i(efct| If) % J ironies. 


CHAPTER 1. 

THE FUGITIVE. 

The year 1816 was a disastrous one for the cause 
of South American independence. The loss of the 
battle of Cachiri, following close upon the equally 
unlucky -affairs of Puerta, Araguita, and AJto de 
Tanumba, crushed for a time the hopes of the pat¬ 
riots. Their sufferings were great — their prospects 
in the highest degree gloomy. 

On a November morning, of the above-named 
year, about half-an-hour before daybreak, the door 
of an obscure house in the calzada of Guadalupe, at 
the Havannah, was cautiously opened, and a man 
put out his head, and gazed up and down the street 
as if to assure himself that no one was near. All 
was silence and solitude at that early hour, and pres¬ 
ently the door, opening wider, gave egress to a young 



1. t A SMKTCII IX THK TU PICS. 

man muffled in a shabby cloak, who, with hurried 
but stealthy step, took the direction of the port. 
Hastening noiselessly through the deserted streets 
and lanes, he soon reached the quay, upon which 
were numerous storehouses of sugar and other mer¬ 
chandise, and piles of dye-wood, awaiting shipment. 
Upon approaching one of the latter, the young man 
gave a low whistle, and the next instant a figure 
glided from between two huge heaps of logw r ood, 
and, seizing his hand, drew him into the hiding- 
place from which it had emerged. 

A quarter of an hour elapsed, and the first faint 
tinge of day just appeared, when the noise of oars 
was heard, and presently, in the gray light, a boat 
was seen darting out of the mist that hung over the 
water. As it neared the quay, the two men left 
their concealment, and one of them, pointing to the 
person who sat in the stern of the boat, pressed his 
companion’s hand, and, hurrying away, soon disap¬ 
peared in the labyrinth of goods and warehouses. 

The boat came up to the stairs. Of the three per¬ 
sons it contained, two sailors, who had been rowing, 
remained in it; the third, whose dress and appear¬ 
ance were those of the master of a merchant-vessel, 
sprang on shore, and walked in the direction of the 


THE FUGITIVE. 


295 


town. As he passed before the logwood, the strangei 
stepped out and accosted him. 

The seaman’s first movement, and not an unnatu¬ 
ral one, considering he was at the Havannah, and the 
day not yet broken, was to half-draw his cutlass from 
its scabbard; but the next moment he let it drop 
back again. The appearance of the person w r ho ad¬ 
dressed him was, if not altogether prepossessing, at 
least not much calculated to inspire alarm. He was 
a young man of handsome and even noble counte¬ 
nance, but pale and sickly looking, like one bow r ed 
down by sorrow and illness. 

“Are you the captain of the Philadelphian schooner 
that is on the point of sailing?” inquired he anxiously. 

The seamar looked hard in the young man’s face, 
and answered in the affirmative. The stranger’s 
eyes sparkled 

“ Can I hd re a passage for myself, a friend, and 
two children! ” demanded he. 

The sailor hesitated before he replied, and again 
scanned his interlocutor with his keen gray eyes. 
There was e mething inconsistent, not to say suspi¬ 
cious, in the stranger’s whole appearance. His cloak 
was otoir/H md shabby, and his words were humble; 
but U110TO 7 is a fire in his eye that flashed forth in 


296 


A SKETCH IN THE TROPICS. 


spite o mmself, and his voice had that particular 
tone which the habit of command alone gives. The 
result of the sailor’s scrutiny was unfavorable, and 
he ; shook his head negatively. The young man 
gasped for breath, and drew a well-filled purse from 
his bosom. 

“ I will pay beforehand,” said he; “1 will pay 
whatever you ask.” 

The American started; the contrast was too strik¬ 
ing between the applicant’s beggarly exterior and 
his heavy purse and large offers. He shook his head 
more decidedly than before. The stranger bit 'his 
lip till the blood came, his breast heaved, his whole 
manner was that of one who abandons himself to 
despair. The sailor felt a touch of compassion. 

“Young man,” said he in Spanish, “you are no 
merchant. What do you want at Philadelphia?” 

“I want to go to Philadelphia. Here is my pas¬ 
sage-money, here my pass. You are captain of the 
schooner. What do you require more?” 

There was a wild vehemence in the tone' and man¬ 
ner m which these last words were spoken, that indis¬ 
posed the seaman still more against his would-be 
passenger. Again he shook his head, and was about 
to pass on. The young man seized his arm 


THE FUGITIVE. 


297 


“For the love of God, captain, take me with yon! 
Take my unhappy wife and my poor children.” 

“Wife and children! repeated the captain. “Have 
you a wife and children ? ” 

The words had brought home and its endearments 
vividly to the seaman’s memory, and had touched a 
chord that readily vibrates in the heart either of 
American or Englishman. 

The stranger groaned. 

“You have committed- no crime? you are not flying 
from the arm of justice?” asked the captain sharply. 

“So may God help me, no crime whatever have I 
committed!” replied the young man, raising his hand 
toward heaven. 

“Then I will take you. Keep your money till you 
are on board. In an hour at furthest I weigh anchor.” 

The stranger answered nothing, but, as if relieved 
from some dreadful anxiety, drew a deep breath, and 
with orateful look to heaven hurried from the spot. 

When Captain Heady*, of the smart-soil in ir. Haiti 

more-built schooner, “The Speedy Tom,” returned on 

board his vessel, and descended into the cabin, he was 

met by his new passenger, on whose arm hung a lady 

of dazzling beauty and grace. She was very plainly 

dressed as were also two lovely children who 
13 * 


298 


A SKETCH IX THE TROPICS. 


accompanied her ; but their clothes were of the finest 
materials, and the elegance of their appearance con¬ 
trasted strangely with the rags and wretchedness of 

i 

their husband and father. Lying on a chest, however, 
Captain Ready saw a pelisse and two children’s cloaks 
of the shabbiest description, and which the new¬ 
comers had evidently just taken off. 

This disguise and mystery revived the seaman’s 
suspicions; and a doubt again arose in his mind as 
to the propriety of taking passengers who came on 
board under such equivocal circumstances. A feeling 
of compassion, however, added to the graceful man¬ 
ners and sweet voice of the lady, decided him to 
persevere in his original intention; and politely re¬ 
questing her to make herself at home in the cabin, he 
returned on deck. Ten minutes later the anchor was 
weighed, and the schooner in motion. 

The sun had risen and dissipated the morning mist. 
Some distance astern of the fast-advancing schooner 
rose the streets and houses of the Havannah, and the 
forest of masts occupying its port; to the right 
frowned the castle of the Molo, whose threatening 
embrasures the vessel rapidly approached. Husband 
and wife stood upon the cabin stairs, gazing with 
breathless anxiety at the fortress. 


THE FUGITIVE. 


299 


As the schooner arrived opposite the castle, a small 
postern, leading out upon the jetty, was opened, and 
an officer and six soldiers issued forth. Four men, 
who had been lying on their oars in a boat at the jetty 
stairs, sprang up. The soldiers jumped in, their 
bayonets glittering in the early sunbeams, and the 
rowers pulled in the direction of the schooner. 

“ Jesus Maria y Jose!” exclaimed the lady. 

“Madre de Dios!” groaned her husband. 

At this moment the fort made a signal. 

“Up with the helm!” shouted Captain Keady. 

The schooner rounded to; the boat came flying 
over the water, and in a few moments was alongside. 
The soldiers and their commander stepped on board. 

The latter was a very young man, possessed of a 
truly Spanish countenance—grave and stern. In a 
few words he desired the captain to produce his ship’s 
papers, and parade his seamen and passengers. The 
papers were handed to him without an observation ; 
he glanced his eye over them, inspected the sailors 
one after the other, and then looked in the direction 
of the cabin, expecting the appearance of the passen¬ 
gers, who at length came on deck, the stranger carry¬ 
ing one of the children, and his wife the other. The 
Spanish officer started. 


300 A SKETCH IN THE TROPICS. 

“Do you know that you have a state criminal 
on board?” thundered he to the captain. “What 
means this ? ” 

“Santa Virgen /” exclaimed the lady, and fell 
fainting into her husband’s arms. There was a mo¬ 
ment’s deep silence. All present seemed touched by 
the misfortunes of this youthful pair. The young 
officer sprang to the assistance of the husband, and, 
relieving him of the child, enabled him to give his 
attention to his wife, whom he laid gently down upon 
the deck. 

“ I am grieved at the necessity,” said the officer, 
“but you must return with me.” 

The American captain, who had contemplated 
this scene apparently quite unmoved, now ejected 
from his mouth a huge quid of tobacco, replaced it 
by another, and then stepping up to the officer, 
touched him on the arm, and offered him the pass he 
had received from his passengers. The Spaniard 
waved him back almost with disgust. There was, 
in fact, something very unpleasant in the apathy 
and indifference with which the Yankee contem¬ 
plated the scene of despair and misery before him 
Such cold-bloodedness was premature and unnatural 
:n a man who could not yet have seen more than 


THE FUGITIVE. 


301 


fi ve-and-twenty summers. A close observer, how¬ 
ever, would have remarked that the muscles of his 
face were agitated by a slight convulsive twitching, 
when at that moment his mate stepped forward 
and whispered to him. Approaching the Spaniard 
for the second time, Ready incited him to partake, 
of a slight refreshment in his cabin, a courtesy 
which it is usual for the captains of merchant- 
vessels to pay to the visiting officer. The Spaniard 
accepted, and they went below. 

The steward was busy covering the cabin table 
with plates of Boston crackers, olives, and almonds, 
and he then uncorked a bottle of fine old Madeira, 
which looked like liquid gold as it gurgled into 
the glasses. Captain Ready was quite a different 
person in the cabin and on deck. Throwing aside 
his dry, say-little manner, he was now good humor 
and civility personified, and lavished on his guest 
all those obliging attentions which no one better 
knows the use of than a Yankee, when he wishes to 
administer a dose of what he himself would call 
“soft sawder.” Ready soon persuaded the officer 
of his entire guiltlessness in the unpleasant affair 
that had just occurred; and the Spaniard told him 
by no means to make himself uneasy, that the 


302 


A SKETCH IN THE TROPICS. 


pass had been given for another person, and that 
the prisoner was a man of great importance, whom 
he considered himself excessively lucky to have 
been able to recapture. 

Most Spaniards like a glass of Madeira, particu¬ 
larly when olives serve as the whet. The American’s 
wine was first-rate, and the officer found himself 
particularly comfortable in . the cabin. He did not 
forget, however, to desire that the prisoner’s bag¬ 
gage might be placed in the boat, and, with a 
courteous apology for leaving him a moment alone, 
Captain Ready hastened to give the .necessary 
oiders. 

When the captain reached the deck, a heart¬ 
rending scene presented itself to him. His unfm 
tunate passenger was seated on one of the hatch¬ 
ways, despair legibly written on his pale features. 
The eldest child had climbed up on his knee, anu 
looked wistfully into its father’s face, and his wife 
hung round his neck, sobbing audibly. A young 
negress, who had come on board with them, held 
the other child, an infant a few months old, in her 
arms. Ready took the prisoner’s hand. 

“I hate tyranny,” said he, u as every American 
must. Had you confided your position to me. a 


THE FUGITIVE. 


303 


few hours sooner, I would have got you safe off. 
But now I see nothing to be done. We are under 
the cannon of the fort, which could sink us in ten 
seconds. Who' and what are you? Say quickly, for 
time is precious.” 

“I am a Columbian by birth,” replied the young 
man, “an officer in the Patriot army. I was taken 
prisoner at the battle of Cachiri, and brought to the 
Ifavannah with several companions in misfortune. 
My wife and children were allowed to follow me, for 
the Spaniards were not sorry to have one of the first 
families of Columbia entirely in their power. Four 
months I lay in a frightful dungeon, with rats and 
reptiles for sole companions. It is a miracle that 1 
am still alive. Out of seven hundred prisoners, but 
a handful of emaciated objects remain to testify to 
the barbarous cruelty of our captors. A fortnight 
back they took me out of my prison a mere skeleton, 
in order to preserve my life, and quartered me in a 
house in the city. Two days ago I heard that I was 
to return to the dungeon. It was my death-warrant, 
for I could not live another week in that frightful 
cell. A true friend, in spite of danger, and by dint 
of gold, procured me the pass-of a Spaniard dead 
of the yellow fever. * By means of that paper and 


304 A SKETCH IN THE TROPICS. 

by your assistance, we trusted to escape. Captain! ” 
said the young man, starting to his feet, and clasping 
Ready’s hand, his hollow, sunken eye gleaming wildly 
as he spoke, “my only hope is in you. If you give 
me up, I am a dead man, for I have sworn to perish 
rather than return to the miseries of my prison. I 
fear not death—I am a soldier; but alas for my 
poor wife, my helpless, deserted children! ” 

The Yankee captain passed his hand across his 
forehead with the air of one greatly perplexed, then 
turned away without a word, and walked to the 
other end of the vessel. Giving a glance upward 
and around him that seemed to take in the appear¬ 
ance of the sky, and the probabilities of good or bad 
weather, he ordered some of the sailors to bring the 
luggage of the passenger upon deck, but not to put 
it into the boat. He told the steward to give the 
soldiers and boatmen a couple of bottles of rum, and 
then, after whispering for a few seconds in the ear 
of his mate, he approached the cabin stairs. As he 
passed the Columbian family, he said in a low voice, 
and without looking at them, 

“Trust in Him who helps when need is at the 
greatest.” 

Scarcely had the Captain uttered the words, when 


THE FUGITIVE. 


305 


the Spanish officer sprang up the cabin stairs, and 
as soon as he saw the prisoners, ordered them into 
the boat. Ready, however* interfered, and begged 
him to allow his unfortunate passenger to take a 
farewell glass before he left the vessel. To this the 
young officer good-naturedly consented, and himself 
led the way into the cabin. 

They took their places at the table, and the captain 
opened a fresh bottle, at the very first glass of which 
the Spaniard’s eye glistened and his lips smacked. 
The conversation became more and more lively; 
Ready spoke Spanish fluently, and gave proof of 
a jovialty which no one would have suspected to 
belong to his character, dry and saturnine as his 
manner usually was. A quarter of an hour or 
more had passed in this way, when the schooner 
gave a sudden lurch, and the glasses and bottles 
jingled and clattered together on the table. The 
Spaniard started up. 

“Captain!” cried he furiously, “the schooner is 
sailing! ” 

“ Certainly,” replied the captain, very coolly. 
“You surely did not expect, Senor, that we were 
going to miss the finest breeze that ever filled a 
sail ? ” 


«306 A SKETCH IN THE TKOPICS. 

Without answering, the officer rushed upon deck, 
and looked in the direction of the Molo. They had 
left the fort full two miles behind them. The 
Spaniard literally foamed at the mouth. 

“Soldiers!” vociferated he, “seize the captain 
and the prisoners. We are betrayed. And you, 
steersman, put about.” 

And betrayed they assuredly were; for while 
the officer had been quaffing his Madeira, and the 
soldiers and boatmen regaling themselves with the 
steward’s rum, sail had been made on the vessel 
without noise or bustle, and favored by the breeze, 
she was rapidly increasing her distance from land. 
Ready preserved the utmost composure. 

“ Betrayed ! ” repeated he, replying to the vehe¬ 
ment ejaculation of the Spaniard. “Thank God we 
are Americans, and have no trust to break, nothing 
to betray. As to this prisoner of yours, however, 
he must remain here.” 

“Here!” sneered the Spaniard—“we’ll soon see 
about that, you treacherous ”- 

“Here!” quietly interrupted the captain. “Do 
not give yourself needless trouble, Senor; your 
soldiers’ guns, as you may see, are in our hands, 
and my six sailors well provided with pistols and 


THE FUGITIVE. 


30T 


cutlasses. We eight are more than a match for you 
ten, and at the first suspicious movement you make, 
we fire on you.” 

The officer looked around, and his jaw dropped 
when he beheld his soldiers’ muskets piled upon 
the deck, and guarded by two well-armed and 
determined-looking sailors. 

u You would not dare”—exclaimed he. 

“Indeed would I,” replied Ready; “but I hope 
you will not force me to it. You must remain 
a few hours longer my guest, and then you can 
return to port in your boat. You will get off with 
a month’s arrest, and as compensation, you will 
have the satisfaction of having delivered" a brave 
enemy from despair and death.” 

All this was spoken quietly and gravely, but, at 
the same time with such resolute decision of man¬ 
ner, that the Spaniard winced with vexation. Yet 
he made one more attempt to intimidate his 
captor. 

“Captain! captain!” cried he, “this is dangerous 
jesting; for of course, it is but a jest.” 

“We Americans are not much given to jesting,” 
carelessly replied the captain. 

“Do you know that you are committing a capital 


308 


A SKETCH IN THE TROPICS. 


crime—incurring the punishment of death?” cried 
the Spaniard vehemently. 

“Were I a Spaniard, yes; as an American, no,” 
said the captain, dipping his finger, with a gesture 
of indescribably dry humor, into a bucket of sea¬ 
water, which the steward just then lifted over the 
ship’s side. “We are on the sea, on the American 
sea, on which you well know that we Americans 
are masters, and far too proud to let ourselves be 
dictated to by any nation whatever. Be reasonable 
and humane,” he added in a more friendly tone. 
“This Patriot officer has committed no crime, but, 
on the contrary, has done his duty—has done 
what our Washingtons, Putnams, Greenes, and 
thousands of our revolutionary heroes also did — 
has fought for his country’s freedom; and you, 
instead of treating him, an unhappy prisoner, with 
humanity, have tortured him to a skeleton! Look 
at him, and say if I must not have a heart harder 
than stone to deliver him into the clutches of your 
inquisitors. He shall not go back.” 

The officer ground his teeth togethei, but even 
yet he did not give up all hopes of getting out of 
the scrape. Resistance was evidently not to be 
thought of, his men’s muskets being in the power 


THE FUGITIVE. 


309 


of the Americans, who, with cocked pistols and 
naked cutlasses, stood on guard over them. The 
soldiers themselves did not seem very full of light, 
and the boatmen were negroes, and consequently 
non-combatants. But there were several trincadores 
and armed cutters cruising about, and if he could 
manage to hail or make a signal to one of them, 
the schooner would be brought to, and the tables 
turned. He gazed earnestly at a sloop that just 
then crossed them at no great distance, staggering 
in toward the harbor under press of sail. The 
American read his thoughts. 

“Do me the honor, Senor,” said he, “to partake 
of a slight dejeuner-a-la-fourchette in the cabin. 
We shall also hope for the pleasure of your com¬ 
pany at dinner. Supper you will probably eat at 
home.” 

And so saying, he motioned courteously toward 
the cabin stairs. The Spaniard looked in the sea¬ 
man’s face, and read in its decided expression, and 
in the slight smile of intelligence that played upon 
it, that he must not hope either to resist or outwit 
his polite but peremptory entertainer. So making 
a virtue of necessity, he descended into the cabin. 

Left to themselves, husband and wife fell, with 


310 


A SKETCH IN THE TROPICS 


an inarticulate but joyful cry, into each other’s 
arms. Their hearts were too full for words; their 
lips refused utterance to the feelings of joy and 
thankfulness that overpowered them. They clung 
sobbing to each other, as closely clasped as if they 
never again would separate; then they laughed 
out loud, delirious with delight, murmured broken 
sentences of affection, and gazed back shudderingly, 
and with eyes fixed and distended, at the cruel 
Havannah—at the horrible Molo. 

Gradually the endless masses of the city, the 
confused chaos of sails, ropes and masts, and the 
grim Molo itself, receded from the view of the 
fugitives. A glittering streak unrolled itself be¬ 
tween them and the city, at first no wider than a 
silvered ribbon, but speedily increasing in length N 
and breadth. With ecstasy inexpressible they 
watched its rapid growth; and as the narrow 
strip grew into a broad ocean-mirror, it seemed to 
them a sign from heaven, promising deliverance 
and announcing safety. On went the schooner; 
fainter and fainter became the outlines of city and 
narbor. Already the masts of the vessels were 
invisible; only the pennons on their top-masts still 
fluttered like sea-birds at the far-distant horizon. 


THE FUGITIVE. 


311 


The south-west breeze freshened, and the lively 
schooner was making her ten knots an hour. Ab¬ 
sorbed in blissful feelings, the fugitives heeded not 
what passed around them, felt no fatigue, were in j 
sensible to hunger and thirst. The voice of the 
Spanish officer on the cabin stairs first roused them 
from a state that resembled a bewildering dream. 

The young Spaniard was in all the better humor 
for the dejeuner-a-la-fourchette. His national grav¬ 
ity had unbent, and he was remarkably sociable 
and talkative. He was laughing as he ascended 
the stairs, and assuring the captain that he had 
enjoyed the trip and was well pleased to have 
made the acquaintance of a Yankee-Americano, 
although the pleasure was likely to cost him rather 
dear—a couple of months in the fortress, at the 
very least. All he hoped was, that if ever, in the 
varying chances of war, he should find himself in 
a similar predicament to the Columbian, he might 
also have the luck to meet with a Yankee to help 
him at a pinch. Frank and friendly was the cap¬ 
tain’s reply. Whoever, had seen him then, would 
hardly have recognized the man whose aspect, two 
short hours previously, had been so gloomy and 
unprepossessing. The. consciousness of a good and 


\ 

312 A SKETCH IN THE TKOPICS. 

generous action lit up his manly, honest countenance 
and gleamed joyfully in his eyes as, arm in arm with 
the Spaniard, he paced his schooner’s deck. Noble 
indeed, worthy of a hero or a demigod, did his coun¬ 
tenance appear in the eyes of the rescued jjatriot and 
his happy wife. 

But the schooner was now twenty miles from the 
Havannah; the Molo could hardly be discerned. It 
was time to part. The distance was great enough to 
guarantee the escape of the fugitives, and as great as 
was prudent for those to come who had to return to 
shore in an open boat. The soldiers were ordered 
into their’s; the officer, as he stepped over the side, 
shook the captain heartily by the hand ; the negroes 
dipped their oars into the water, and soon, from the 
schooner’s deck, the boat was visible but as a mere 
speck upon the vast expanse of ocean. 

The voyage was prosperous, and in eleven days the 
vessel reached its destination. The Columbian officer, 
his wife and children, were received with the utmost 
kindness and hospitality by the young and handsome 
wife of Captain lieady, in whose house they took up 
their quarters. They remained there two months, 
living in the most retired manner, with the double 
object of economizing their scanty resources, and of 


THE FUGITIVE. 


313 


avoiding the notice of the Philadelphians, who at 
that time viewed the patriots of Southern America 
with no very favorable eye. The insurrection against 
the Spaniards had injured the commerce between the 
United States and the Spanish colonies, and the 
purely mercantile and lucre-loving spirit of the Phil¬ 
adelphians made them look with dislike on any 
circumstances or persons who caused a diminution 
of their trade and profits. 

At the expiration of the two months, an opportunity 
offered of a vessel going to Marguerite, then the head¬ 
quarters of the patriots, and the place where the first 
expeditions were formed under Bolivar against the 
Spaniards. Estoval (that was the name by which the 
Columbian officer was designated in his passport) 
gladly seized the opportunity, took a grateful and 
affectionate leave cf his deliverer, and embarked with 
his wife and children. They had been several days 
at sea before they remembered that they had forgotten 
to tell their American friends their real name. The 
jatter never inquired it, and the Estovals being accus¬ 
tomed to address one another by their Christian 
names, it had never been mentioned. 

Meantime, the good seed Captain Ready had sown, 
brought the honest Yankee but a sorry harvest. His 


A SKETCH IN THE TROPICS. 


% 

314 

employers had small sympathy with the feelings of 
humanity which had induced him to risk carrying off 
a Spanish state-prisoner from under the guns of a 
Spanish battery. Their correspondents at the Havan- 
nah had trouble and difficulty on account of the affair, 
and wrote to Philadelphia to complain of it. Ready 
lost his ship, and could only obtain from his employers 
certificates of character of so ambiguous and unsatis¬ 
factory a nature, that for a long time he found it 
imj30ssible to get the command of another vessel. 


CHAPTER II. 


THE BLOCKADE. 

It was in the month of March, 1825, that I found 
myself in company with several Americans and 
Englishmen—for the most part masters of merchant 
vessels—seated in front of the French coffee-house 
at Lima. The subject of our conversation was not a 
very pleasant one — at least to me. Callao was at 
that time blockaded by the patriots, both by land 
and water; and we had been bound thither with 
Spanish goods on board. This may suffice to give an 
idea of the disagreeable topic of our discourse. To 
be more explicit, however, I may mention that wc 
had left home — that is to say, Baltimore—in the 
month of November, 1824, had sailed to Havannah, 
got rid of our cargo, taken in another—partly on our 
own, partly on Spanish government account—and 
had left the Havannah on the 1st Pecember, just 
eight days before the famous battle Ayacucho, the 


\ 

316 A SKETCH IN THE TROPICS. 

news of which followed on our heels, but never over¬ 
took us, so that we sailed round the South American 
continent; and only learned them on reaching the 
latitude of Callao, when it was too late to turn back. 

There was no disguising the fact that we were 
bound to Callao; our cargo—which comprised 
twenty thousand dollars’ worth of cigars, for the 
fortress — spoke too plainly ; but I also doubt 
whether, even if disguise had been possible, my 
captain would have been withheld from the attempt 
to break the blockade. He had attempted the feat 
four years previously, when the patriot fleet was 
commanded by Cochrane, and had succeeded — no 
easy matter, as will be admitted by all who knew 
Cochrane. Moreover, he had his own Yankee 
notions — notions which, when once they get fixed 
in a Yankee noddle are not to be eradicated. These 
notions tended to prevent the fall of Callao. Odd 
as the calculation may seem, it was the very decided 
one, not only of my captain, but of all his country¬ 
men in a like predicament. They appeared more 
anxious about the fate of the fortress than about the 
confiscation of their cargoes. This sympathy of 
American republicans with the duration of despotic 
power is easily explained, by calling to mind that, 


THE BLOCKADE. 


317 


with the fall of Callao — Spain’s last stronghold in 
South America — the war on that continent would be 
as good as ended, and that our commerce would lose, 
by the consequent pacification, not only one of its 
most profitable, but one of its most interesting 
branches. I say one of its most interesting , because, 
assuredly, in the majority of cases, it was less the 
prospect of gain — although this is never indifferent 
to an American — than the fascination of the innu¬ 
merable dangers and adventures inseparable from 
that traffic, which made it so dear to our citizens and 
seamen. Of this gainful and adventurous commerce 
we had enjoyed a complete monopoly—first, because 
we were nearest, and, secondly, because we produced 
exactly the articles which patriots as well as Span¬ 
iards most needed. As was to be expected of prudent 
people, we had w T orked this monopoly in a way which 
made # a prolongation of the interesting status quo 
appear extremely desirable. We had carried flour 
and meal for the Spaniards, when the Spaniards were 
at the hungriest, and when the carriage was attended 
with the greatest risk and with proportionate gain; 
and we had rendered similar services to the patriots, 
just at the very moment when these had nothing left 
to gnaw at. During the blockade, it was of course 


318 


A SKETCH IN THE TE0PIC6. 


the Spaniards who stood in greatest need of supplies, 
and it seemed all the juster to take them these, that 
they paid very Well for them. 

It was while tacking to and fro at a distance of four 
or five miles from the entrance of the harbor— 
watching, in reality, an opportunity to slip in —that 
the brig “ Perseverance ” Captain Ready, of which I 
had the honor to be supercargo, was hailed and 
brought to by a patriot cruiser. What ensued 
showed us pretty plainly that we should have 
difficulty in getting out of this scrape. Our personal 
effects we were allowed to retain, but we ourselves 
were forthwith sent ashore and taken to Lima. There 
we had remained ever since, hearing no word either 
of brig or cargo. In the latter I was greatly inter¬ 
ested, inasmuch as my whole capital — the savings of 
ten years’ hard desk-work—was therein embarked. 
The captain was also interested to the extent of one 
fifth, and he was half owner of the brig. 

For a young man, on his first spec, undertaken 
with the modest earnings of a long servitude, it was 
not very encouraging to find his hopes of fortune thus 
unexpectedly run aground. My bark was evidently 
upon a sandbank, with but little hopes of getting 
afloat again, and with plenty of sharks hovering 


THE BLOCKADE. 


31£ 


around, greedy for the spoil. The sharks were here 
represented by the patriots, who to my eyes were 
more odious than any sharks that ever swam. I 
hated them so heartily that I could with pleasure 
have seen them all hanged. 

Yery different was the temper of my worthy 
captain. He displayed infinite philosophy; passed 
his days with a penknife and stick in his hand, 
whittling away,. Yankee fashion; and, when he had 
chopped up his stick, he would set to work notching 
and hacking chair, bench, or table. When spoken 
to about the brig, he ground his teeth a little, but 
said nothing, and whittled harder than before. This 
was consistent with his character; he had always 
passed for any thing but talkative. Weeks had often 
elapsed, during our long sea-voyage, without his ut¬ 
tering a word except to give the needful orders. 
So confirmed was his taciturnity, so little inviting his 
manner, that few cared to importune him with their 
conversation. His vinegar physiognomy, compressed 
lips and dark gloomy eyes—which seemed to swim 
m a dull cloud like those of a drunken man — were 
any thing but prepossessing, and people thought 
twice before accosting him. His redeeming point 
was his voice. When he did speak, it was music. 


320 


A SKETCH IN THE TROPICS. 


Even on board ship, when shouting his orders through 
the storm, its tones were mellow and harmonious, as 
though it would have lulled and appeased the hurri¬ 
cane. There was an indescribable charm in that man’s 
voice. When he spoke, his dark, dry countenance 
assumed a gentle and benevolent expression, and this 
was particularly observable when he did anybody a 
good office. His features, on such occasions, beamed 
with kindliness, and one felt irresistibly led to like 
him. Hence, in spite of his peculiarities, he was 
generally beloved by his brother captains, and by all 
who knew him. When he spoke, his words, the more 
prized by reason of their rarity, were always listened 
to with attention. Rough as sea-faring men generally 
are, I remember not to have ever heard a rough word 
addressed to him. and often his mere entrance sufficed 
to still disputes. 

During the whole time he had sailed for the Balti¬ 
more house, in whose service I was, he had shown 
himself a model of trustworthiness and seamanship, 
and enjoyed the full confidence of his employers. It 
was &aid, however, that his early life had not been 
irreproachable ; that when he first, and as a very 
young man, had command of a Philadelphian ship, 
something had occurred which had thrown a stain 


THE BLOCKADE. 


321 


upon his character. "What this was, I had never 
heard very distinctly stated. He himself was far 
too proud and reserved to give an explanation. It 
was said, that he had favored the escape of a male 
factor, and ensnared some officers who were sent on 
board his vessel to seize him. All this was very 
vague ; but what was positive was the fact, that the 
owners and consignees of the ship, he then com¬ 
manded had had much trouble about the matter, and 
Ready himself remained long unemployed, until the 
rapid increase of trade between the United States 
and the infant republics of South America—attribu¬ 
table to the revival of the w T ar, in consequence of 
Bolivar’s indefatigable exertions — caused seamen 
of ability to be in much request, and he was offered 
the command of a vessel by our house, although not 
without much hesitation. They had no cause to re¬ 
pent it On the contrary, the captain’s skill, dar¬ 
ing, and activity had been the chief cause of their 
acknowledged pre-eminence among the Baltimore 
houses in the South American trade. When his 
former employers knew this, they made him very 
favorable offers to re-enter their service, but he ab¬ 
ruptly rejected them. And it was observed that, 
when their names were mentioned before him, a bitter 
li* 


322 


A SKETCH IN THE TROPICS. 


smile played round his mouth, succeeded by so sullen 
a gloom that none ventured to question him on the 
subject. 

It was afternoon, and we were seated, as before 
mentioned, outside the French coffee-house at Lima. 
The party consisted of seven or eight captains of 
merchant vessels that had been seized, and they were 
doing their best to kill the time; some smoking, others 
chewing, but nearly all with penknife and stick in 
hand, whittling as for a wager. On their first arrival 
at Lima, and adoption of this coffee-house as a place 
of resort, the tables and chairs belonging to it seemed 
in a fair way to be cut to pieces by these indefatiga¬ 
ble whittlers ; but the coffee-house-keeper had hit 
upon a plan to avoid such deterioration of his chat¬ 
tels, and had placed in every corner of the room 
bundles of sticks, at which his Yankee customers cut 
and notched, till the coffee-house assumed the appear¬ 
ance of a carpenter’s shop. 

The costume and airs of the patriots, as they called 
themselves, were no small source of amusement to us. 
They strutted about in all the pride of their fire-new 
freedom, regular caricatures of soldiers. One would 
have on a Spanish jacket, part of the spoils of Aya- 
cucho; another, an American one, purchased from 


THE BLOCKADE. 


323 


some sailor; a third, a monk’s robe, cut short, and 
fashioned into a sort of doublet. Here was a shako 
wanting a peak, in company with a gold-laced velvet 
coat of the time of Philip V.; there, a hussar jacket 
and an old-fashioned cocked hat. The volunteers 
were the best clothed, also in great part from the 
plunder of the battle of Ayacucho. Their uniforms 
were laden with gold and silver lace; and some of 
the officers, not satisfied with two epaulettes, had half- 
a-dozen dangling from their shoulders. 

As we sat smoking, whittling, and quizzing the 
patriots, a side-door of the coffee-house was suddenly 
opened, and an officer came out, whose appearance 
was calculated to give us a far more favorable opin¬ 
ion of the military men of South America. He was 
about thirty years of age, plainly but tastefully 
dressed, and of that unassuming, engaging demeanor 
which is so often found the companion of the greatest 
decision of character, and which contrasted with flie 
martial deportment of a young man who followed 
him, and who, although in much more showy uni¬ 
form, was evidently his inferior in rank. We bowed 
as he passed before us, and he acknowledged the 
salutation by raising his cocked hat slightly, but 
courteously, from his head. He was passing on. 


324 


A SKETCH IN THE TK0PIC6. 


when his eyes suddenly fell upon Captain Ready, 
who was standing a little on one side, notching away 
at his tenth or twelfth stick, and who at that moment 
happened to look up. The officer started, gazed ear¬ 
nestly at Ready for the space of a second or two, and 
then, with delight expressed on his countenance, 
s] »rang forward and clasped him in his arms. 

“Captain Ready!” 

u That is my name,” quietly replied the captain. 

“Is it possible you do not know me?” exclaimed 
the officer. 

Ready looked hard at him, and seemed a little in 
doubt. At last he shook his head. 

“You do not know me?” repeated the other, al¬ 
most reproachfully, and then whispered something in 
his ear. 

It was now Ready’s turn to start and look surprised. 
One of his sunny smiles, a smile of friendly and 
well-pleased recognition, lit up his countenance as he 
grasped the hand of the officer, who took his arm and 
dragged him away into the house. 

A quarter of an hour elapsed, during which we 
lost ourselves in conjectures as to who this acquaint¬ 
ance of Ready’s could be. At the end of that time 
the captain and his new (or old) friend reappeared. 


THE BLOCKADE. 


325 


The latter walked away, an we saw him enter the 
government house, while Ready joined us, silent and 
phlegmatic as ever, and resumed ms stick and pen¬ 
knife. In reply to our inquiries as to who the officer 
was, he only saia tnat ne Delongred to the army be¬ 
sieging Callao, and that he had once made a voyage 
as his passenger. Ibis was all the information we 
could extract from our taciturn friend ; but we saw 
plainly that the officer was somebody of importance, 
from the respect paid him by the soldiers and others 
w r hom he met. 

The morning following this incident we were seated 
at our chocolate, when an orderly dragoon came to 
ask for Captain Ready. The captain went out to 
speak to him, and presently returning, went on with 
his breakfast very deliberately. 

When he had done, ne asued me if I were inclined 
for a little excursion out of the town, which would, 
perhaps, keep us a couple of days away. I willingly 
accepted, heartily sick as I was of the monotonous 
life we were leading. We packed up our valises, 
took our pistols and cutlasses, and went out. 

To my astonishment the orderly was waiting at 
the door with two magniticent Spanish chargers, 
splendidly accoutred. They were the finest horses 


326 


A SKETCH IN THE TROPICS. 


I had seen in Peru, and my curiosity was strongly 
excited to know who had sent them, and whither wo 
were going. To my questions, Eeady replied, that 
we were going to visit the officer whom he had 
spoken to on the preceding day, and who was with 
the besieging army, and had. once been his passenger; 
but he declared he did not know his name or rank. 

We had left the town about a mile behind us, when 
we heard the sound of cannon; it became louder as 
we went on, and about a mile farther we met a string 
of carts, full of wounded, going in to Lima. Here 
and there we caught sight of parties of marauders, 
who disappeared as soon as they saw our orderly. I 
felt a great longing and curiosity to witness the fight 
tnat was evidently going on—not, however, that I 
was particularly desirous of taking share in it, or 
putting myself in the way of the bullets. My friend 
the captain jogged on ly my side, taking little heed 
of the roar of the cannon, which to him was no 
novelty; for having passed his life at sea, he had had 
more than one encounter with pirates and other rough 
customers, and had been many times under the fire 
of batteries, running in and out of blockaded 
American ports. His whole attention was now 
engrossed by the management of his horse, which 


THE BLOCKADE. 


327 


was somewhat restive, and he, like most sailors, 
was a very indifferent rider. 

On reaching the top of a small rising ground, wo 
beheld to the left the dark frowning bastions of the 
fort, and to the right the village of Bella Yista, 
which, although commanded by the guns of Callao, 
had been chosen as the headquarters of the besieging 
army — the houses being for the most part built of 
huge blocks of stone, and offering sufficient resistance 
to the balls. The orderly pointed out to us the various 
batteries, and especially one just completed, which 
was situated about three hundred yards from the 
fortress. It had not yet been used, and was still 
masked from the enemy by some houses in its front. 

While we were looking about us, Ready’s horse, 
irritated by the noise of the firing, the flashes of 
the guns, and perhaps more than any thing by 
the captain’s bad riding, became more and more 
unmanageable, and at last, taking the bit between 
his teeth, started off at a mad gallop, closely followed 
by myself and the orderly, to whose horses the panic 
seemed to have communicated itself. The clouds of 
dust raised by the animals’ feet prevented us from 
seeing whither we were going. Suddenly there 
was an ejrplosion that seemed to shake the very 


328 


A SKETCH IN THE TKOPICS. 


earth under us, and Ready, the orderly, and myself, 
lay sprawling, with our horses, on the ground. Be¬ 
fore we could collect our senses and get up, we were 
nearly deafened by a tremendous roar of artillery 
close to us, and, at the same moment, a shower of 
stones and fragments of brick and mortar clattered 
about our ears. 

The orderly was stunned by his fall; I was bruised 
and bewildered. Ready was the only one who 
seemed in no way put out. Extricating himself, 
with his usual phlegm, from under his. horse, he 
came to our assistance. I was soon on my legs, and 
endeavoring to discover the cause of all this uproar. 

Our unruly steeds had brought us close to the new 
battery, at the very moment that the train of a mine 
under the houses in front of it had been fired. The 
instant the obstacle was removed, the artillerymen 
had opened a tremendous fire on the fort. The 
Spaniards were not slow to return the compliment, 
and fortunate it wtis that a solid fragment of wall 
intervened between us and their fire, or all our 
troubles about the brig, and every thing else, would 
have been at an end. Already upward of twenty 
balls had struck the old broken wall. Shot and shell 
were flying in every direction, the smoke was stifling, 


THE BLOCKADE. 


329 


the uproar indescribable. It was so dark with the 
smoke and dust from the fallen houses, that we could 
not see an arm’s length before us. The captain asked 
tw~o or three soldiers who were hurrying by, where 
the battery was; but they were in too great haste to 
answer, and it was only when the smoke cleared 
away a little that we discovered we were not twenty 
paces from it. Ready seized my arm, and, pulling me 
with him, I the next moment found myself standing 
beside a gun, under cover of the breastworks. 

The battery consisted of thirty guns, twenty-four 
and thirty-six pounders, served with a zeal and cour¬ 
age which far exceeded any thing I had expected to 
find in the patriot army. The fellows were really 
more than brave, they were foolhardy. They danced, 
rather than walked, round the guns, and exhibited a 
contempt of death that could not well be surpassed. 
As to drawing the guns back from the embrasures 
while loading them, they never dreamed of such a 
thing. They stood jeering and scoffing the Spaniards, 
and bidding them take better aim. 

It must be remembered that this was only three 
months after the battle of Ayacucho, the greatest feat 
of arms which the South American patriots had 
achieved during the whole of their protracted struggle 


330 


A SKETCH IN THE TKOPICS. 


with. Spain. The victory had literally electrified the 
troops, and inspired them with a contempt of their 
enemy, which frequently showed itself, as on this 
occasion, in acts of the greatest daring and temerity. 

At the gun by which Eeady and myself took our 
stand, half the artillerymen were already killed, and 
we had scarcely come there, when a cannon-shot took 
the head off a man standing close to me. The wind 
of the ball was so great that I believe it would have 
suffocated me, had I not fortunately been standing 
sideways in the battery. At the same moment, some¬ 
thing hot splashed over my neck and face, and nearly 
blinded me. I looked, and saw the man lying with¬ 
out his head before me. I can not describe the sicken¬ 
ing sensation that came over me. It was not the first 
man I had seen killed in my life, but it was the first 
whose blood and brains had spurted into my face. 
My knees shook, and my head swam ; I was obliged 
to lean against the wall, or I should have fallen. 

Another ball fell close beside me, and, strange to 
say, it brought me partly to myself again ; and by 
the time a third and fourth had bounced into the bat¬ 
tery, I began to take things pretty coolly—my heart 
beating rather quicker than usual, I acknowledge; 
but, nevertheless, I found an indescribable sort of 


THE BLOCKADE. 


331 


pleasure, a mischievous joy, if I may so call it, in the 
peril and excitement of the scene. 

"While I was getting over my terrors, my companion 
moved about the battery with his usual sang-froid , 
reconnoitering the enemy. He ran no useless risk, 
kept himself well behind the breastworks, stooping 
down when necessary, and taking all proper care of 
himself. When he had completed his reconnoissance, 
he, to my no small astonishment, took off his coat, 
and neck-handkerchief, the latter of which he tied 
tight round his waist, then, taking a rammer from 
the hand of a soldier who had just fallen, he ordered 
or rather signed to the artillerymen to draw the gun 
back. 

There was sometliteg so cool and decided in his 
manner, that they obeyed, without testifying any 
surprise at his interference, and as though he had 
been one of their own officers. He loaded the piece, 
had it drawn forward again, pointed and fired it. He 
then went to the next gun and did the same thing 
there. He seemed so perfectly at home in the battery, 
that nobody ever dreamed of disputing his authority, 
and the two guns were entirely under his direction. 
I had now got used to the thing myself, so I went 
forward and offered my services, which, in the scarcity 


332 


A SKETCH IN THE TROPICS. 


of men, (so many having been killed,) were not to be 
refused, and I helped to draw the guns backward 
and forward, and to load them. The captain kept 
running from one to the other, pointing them, and 
admirably well, too; for every shot took effect within 
a circumference of a few feet on the bastion in front 
of us. 

This lasted nearly an hour, at the end of which 
time the fire was considerably slackened, for the 
greater part of our guns had become unserviceable. 
Only about a dozen kept up the fire, (the ball, I was 
going to say,) and among them were the two that 
Ready commanded. He had given them time to cool 
after firing, whereas most of the others, in their des¬ 
perate haste and eagerness, ha#' neglected that pre¬ 
caution. Although the patriots had now been fifteen 
years at war with the Spaniards, they were still very 
indifferent artillerymen—for artillery had little to do 
in most of their fights, which were generally decided 
by cavalry and infantry; and even in that of Ayacu- 
cho there were only a few small field-pieces in use on 
either side. The mountainous nature of the country, 
intersected, too, by mighty rivers, and the want of 
good roads, were the reasons of the insignificant part 
played by the artillery in those wars. 


THE BLOCKADE. 


333 


While we were thus hard at work, who should 
enter the battery but the very officer we had left 
Lima to visit? He was attended by a numerous 
staff, and was evidently of a very high rank. He 
stood a little back, watching - all Captain Ready’s 
movements, and rubbing his hands with visible 
satisfaction. Just at that moment the captain fired 
one of the guns, and, as the smoke cleared away a 
little, we saw the opposite bastion rock, and then sink 
down into the moat. A joyous hurra greeted its fall, 
and the general and his staff sprang forward. 

One must have witnessed the scene that followed, 
in order to form any adequate idea of the mad joy 
and enthusiasm of its actors. The general seized 
Ready in his arms, and eagerly embraced him, then 
almost threw him to one of his officers, Who per¬ 
formed the like ceremony, and, in his turn, passed 
him to a third. The imperturbable captain flew, or 
was tossed, like a ball, from one to the other. I also 
came in for my share of the embraces. 

I thought them all stark-staring mad ; and, indeed, 
Ido not believe they were far from it. The balk 
were still hailing into the battery ; one of them cut a 
poor devil of an orderly nearly in two, but no notice 
was taken of such trifles. It was a curious scene 


334 


A SKETCH IN THE TROPICS. 


enough; the cannon-balls bouncing about our ears — 
the ground under our feet slippery with blood — 
wounded and dying on all sides — and we ourselves 
pushed and passed about from the arms of one black- 
bearded fellow into those of another. There was 
something thoroughly exotic, completely South Amer¬ 
ican and tropical, in this impromptu. 

Strange to say, now that the breach was made, and 
a breach such that a determined regiment, assisted 
by a well-directed fire of artillery, could have had 
no difficulty in storming the town, there was no ap¬ 
pearance of a disposition to profit by it. The patriots 
were quite contented with what had been done ; most 
of the officers left the batteries, and the thing was, 
evidently over for the day. I knew little of Spanish 
Americans then, or I should have felt less surprised 
than I did at their not following up their advantage. 
It was not from want of courage, for it was impossi¬ 
ble to have exhibited more than they had done that 
morning; but they had had their moment of fury, of 
wild energy and exertion, and the other side of the 
national character—indolence—now showed itself. 
After fighting like devils, they now, at the very mo¬ 
ment when activity was of most importance, lay 
down and took the siesta . 


THE BLOCKADE. 


335 


We were about leaving the battery, with the inten¬ 
tion of visiting some of the others, when our orderly 
came up in all haste, with orders to conduct us to the 
general’s quarters. We followed him, and soon 
reached a noble villa, at the door of which a guard 
was stationed. Here we were given over to a sort of 
major-domo, who led us through a crowd of aides-de- 
camp, staff-officers, and orderlies, to a chamber, 
whither our valises had preceded us. We were de¬ 
sired to make haste with our toilet, as dinner would 
be served so soon as his Excellency returned from 
the batteries; and, indeed, we had scarcely changed 
our dress, and washed the blood and smoke from our 
persons, when the major-domo reappeared, and an¬ 
nounced the general’s return. 

Dinner was laid out in a large saloon, in which 
some sixty officers were assembled when we entered 
it. With small regard to etiquette, and not waiting 
for the general to welcome us, they all sprang to 
meet us with a u JBien venidos , cajpitanes ! ” 

T1 e dinner was such as might be expected at the 
table of a general who commanded at the same time 
an army and the blockade of a much-frequented port. 
The most delicious French and Spanish wines were 
there in profusion ; the convivialitv of the guests was 


336 


A SKETCH IN THE TROPICS. 


unbounded; but although they drank their cham¬ 
pagne out of tumblers, no one showed the smallest 
symptom of inebriety. 

The first toast given, was—Bolivar. 

The second—Sucre. 

The third—The Battle of Ayacucho. 

The fourth — Union between Columbia and Peru. 

The fifth—Hualero. 

The general rose to return thanks, and we now, for 
the first time, knew his name. He raised his glass, 
and spoke, evidently with much emotion. 

“Senores! Amigos!” said he, “that I am this day 
among you, and able to thank you for your kindly sen¬ 
timents toward your general and brother in arms, is 
owing under Providence, to the good and brave stran¬ 
ger whose acquaintance you have only this day made, 
but who is one of my oldest and best friends.” And 
so saying he left his place, and, approaching Captain 
Ready, affectionately embraced him. The seaman’s 
iron features lost their usual imperturbability, and his 
lips quivered as he stammered out the two words— 

“Amigo siempre.” 

The following day we passed in the camp, and 
upon the next returned to Lima, the general insisting 
on our taking up our quarters in his house. 


THE BLOCKADE. 


337 


From Hnalero and his lady I learned the origin of 
the friendship existing between the distinguished 
Columbian general and my taciturn Yankee captain. 
It was the honorable explanation of the mysterious 
stain upon Ready’s character. 

Our difficulties regarding the brig were now soon 
at an end. The vessel and cargo wöre returned to 
us, with the exception of a large quantity of cigars 
belonging to the Spanish government. These were, 
of course, confiscated, but the general bought them, 
and made them a present to Captain Ready, who 
sold them by auction ; and cigars being in no small 
demand among that tobacco-loving population, they 
fetched immense prices, and put thirty thousand 
dollars into my friend’s pocket. 

To be brief, in three weeks we sailed from Lima, 
and in a vastly better humor than when we arrived 
there. 


15 


Ifye ^irocljos. 

A TALE OF THE MEXICAN WAR. 

The following is a chapter from a book on the late 
Mexican war. The characters named, having been 
previously introduced, will come upon the reader 
rather abruptly; but they will explain themselves, 
before the conclusion of the narrative. 

We headed toward the National Bridge. Raoul 
had a friend — half way on the route, an old com¬ 
rade upon whom he could depend. We should find 
refreshment there; and, if not a bed, a roof, and a 
petate. His ranche was in a secluded spot, near the 
road that leads to the rinconada of San Martin. We 
should not be likely to meet any one, as it was ten 
miles off; and it would be late when we reached it. 

It was late, near midnight, when we dropped in 
upon the confrrabandista — for such was the friend 
of Raoul—but he and his family were still astir, 
under the light of a very dull wax candle. 


THE JAROCHOS. 


339 


Jose Antonio, that was his name, was a little 
“sprung” at the five bare-headed apparitions that 
burst so suddenly upon him ; but recognizing Raoul, 
we were cordially welcomed. Our host was a spare, 
bony old fellow, in leathern jacket and calsoneros, 
with a keen, shrewd eye, that took in our situation at 
a single glance, and saved the Frenchman a great 
deal of explanation. Notwithstanding the cordiality 
with which his friend received him, I noticed that 
Raoul seemed uneasy about something, as he glanced 
around the room; for the ranche — a small cane 
structure—had only one. 

There were two women stirring about — the wife 
of the contrabandista, and his daughter, a plump 
good-looking girl of eighteen or thereabout. 

u JVo han cehado , cdballeros f” (You have not 
supped, gentlemen,) inquired, or rather affirmed, Jose 
Antonio, for our looks had answered the question 
before it was asked. 

“ Ni comino — ni almorzado” (Nor dined; nor 
breakfasted ;) replied Raoul with a grin. 

“ Oarrambo ! — Rafaela—Jesusita ! ” shouted our 
host, with a sign ; such as, among the Mexicans, often 
conveys a whole chapter of intelligence. The effect 
was magical. It sent Jesusita (Little Jesus) to her 


340 


TUE JAKOCHOS. 


knees before the tortilla stones; and Rafaela, Jose’s 
wife, seized a string of tassajo, and plunged it into 
the olla. Then the little palm leaf fan was handled ; 
and the charcoal blazed and crackled ; and the beef 
boiled; and the black beans simmered; and the 
chocolate frothed up, and we all felt happy under the 
prospect of a savory supper. 

It may appear strange to some Christians, when 
they learn that the name of the Saviour is much used 
as a surname among the Mexicans. Such, however, 
is the fact; and what is equally strange to a Saxon 
foreigner, it is used indifferently as far as regards sex. 
Men as well as women carry this appellation. 

Tassajo, or jerk beef is much used in all Spanish 
countries where salt is scarce. It is beef cured by 
being cut into long strings and dried in the sun. It 
is generally eaten in hashes, stews, &c., and cooked 
by the Mexicans with chili Colorado , is not bad eat¬ 
ing. It frequently, however, by its smell, suggests 
unpleasant ideas of decomposition. 

I think that any one who has spent a week among 
the Mexican peasantry, will recognize these little 
incidents. Cooking is, accomplished almost every¬ 
where by charcoal. This proceeds from the scarcity 
of fuel in nearly all parts of the country. There are 


THE JAROCHOS. 


341 


no chimneys therefore, as there is no smoke. There 
are no grates nor stoves, and no great fires for peo¬ 
ple to warm themselves at. The climate does away 
with the necessity of these things. There are not a 
dozen houses in Mexico where you might sit by a 
fire — except in their kitchens—and the few fire¬ 
places I have seen were luxuries of the wealthy, kept 
for some peculiar visit from the northern winds. ’ In 
the cottage you find a bank of painted mason-work 
as high as a table. It is frequently in the center of 
the cottage in the cane huts of the tierra caliente , 
but oftener built against the side. Several square 
holes, nine inches square, are sunk on the top and 
near the edge ; and from the bottoms of these, small 
apertures run out horizontally to the sides of the 
bank. The charcoal is placed in these little wells 
and ignited. It is fanned by means of the horizontal 
apertures below. This structure then is a brazero , 
found in almost every Mexican house; of course 
larger, and containing a greater number of charcoal 
wells, in the kitchens of the wealthy. 

I had noticed that, notwithstanding all the bright 
prospects of a good supper, Raoul seemed uneasy. 
In the corner I discovered the cause of his solicitude, 
in the shape of a small, spare man, wearing the 


342 


THE JAR0CH0S. 


shovel hat, and black capote of a priest. I knew 
that my comrade was not partial to priests, and 
that he wonld sooner have trusted Satan himself 
than one of the tribe ; and I attributed his uneasiness 
to this natural dislike. 

“ Who is he, Antone ? ” I heard him whisper to the 
contrabandista. 

“The cure of San Martin,” was the reply. 

“He is new, then,” said Raoul. 

“Hombre de bien” (a good man) answered the 
Mexican, nodding as he spoke. 

Raoul seemed satisfied, and remained silent. 

I could not help noticing the “hombre de bien” 
myself; and no more could I help fancying, after a 
short observation, that the ran ehe was indebted for 
the honor of his presence, more to the black eyes of 
Jesusita, than to any zeal on his part, regarding the 
spiritual welfare of the contrabandista. 

There was a villanous expression upon his lip, as he 
watched the girl moving over the floor; and, once or 
twice, I caught him scowling upon Chane, who, in 
his usual Irish way, was “blarneying” with her, and 
helping her to fan the charcoal. 

“ W’here’s the Padre?” whispered Raoul, to our host. 

“ He was in the Rinconada this morning.” 


V 


THE JAR0CH08. 343 

“In the Rinconada!” exclaimed the Frenchman, 
starting. 

“ They ’re gone down to the bridge. The band has 
had a fandango (as our battles were jocularly termed 
by the Mexicans,) with your people, and lost some 
men. They say they have killed a good many 
stragglers along the road.” 

“ So he was in the Rinconada, you say ? and this 
morning too ?” inquired Raoul, in a half soliloquy, and 
without heeding the last remarks of the contrabandista. 

“We’ve got to look sharp then,” he added. 

“ There ’s no danger,” replied the other, “ if you 
keep from the road. Your people have already 
reached El Plain, and are preparing to attack the 
Pass of the Cerro. El Cojo ,* they say, has twenty 
thousand men to defend it.” 

During this dialogue, which was carried on in 
whispers, I had noticed the little Padre shifting 
about uneasily on his seat. At its conclusion he 
rose up, and bidding our host “ buenas noches /” was 
about to withdraw, when Lincoln, who had been 
quietly eyeing him for some time, with that sharp 

t “The lame one,’* a name given in derision to Santa Anna, and 
given by his own countrymen, in whose cause he lost the very leg 
which had rendered him eligible to the appellation. 


344 


THE JAROOHOS. 


searching look peculiar to men of his kidney, jumped 
up, and placing himself before the door, exclaimed 
in a drawling emphatic tone, 

“No , yer don't! ” 

“Que cosaV'\ what’s the matter?) asked the Padre 
indignantly. 

“ Kay or no Kay — Cosser or no Cosser—yer don’t 
go out o’ here, afore we do. Row], ax yer friend for 
a piece o’ twine, will yer?” 

The Padre appealed to our host, and he, in turn, 
appealed to Raoul. The Mexican was in a dilemma. 
He dared not offend the cure, and, on the other hand, 
he did not wish to dictate to his old comrade Raoul. 
Moreover, the fierce hunter, who stood like a huge 
giant in the door, had a voice in the matter ; and 
therefore Jose Antonio had three minds to consult at 
one time. 

“It aint Bob Linkin id infringe the rules of hosper 
tality,” said the hunter, “but this yeer’s a peculiar 
case—an I don’t like the look of that ar priest, no 
how yer kin fix it.” 

Raoul, however, sided with the contrabandista, and 
explained to Lincoln that the Padre was the peaceable 
cure of the neighboring village, and the friend of 
Don Antonio; and the hunter, seeing that I did not 


THE JAK00H0S. 


345 


interpose — for at the moment I was in one ot those 
moods of abstraction, and scarcely noticed what was 
going on — permitted the priest to pass out. I was 
recalled to myself, more by some peculiar expressions, 
which I heard Lincoln muttering, after it was over, 
than by the incidents of the scene itself. 

The occurrence had rendered us all somewhat 
uneasy; and we resolved upon swallowing our 
suppers hastily, and, after pushing forward some 
distance, to sleep in the woods. 

The tortillas were now ready, and the pretty Jesusita 
was pouring out the chocolate; so we set to work like 
men who had appetites. 

The supper was soon dispatched, but our host had 
some purosm the house—a luxury we had not enjoyed 
lately; and hating to hurry away from such comfortable 
quarters, we determined to stay, and take a smoke. 

We had hardly lit our cigars, when Jesusita, who 
had gone to the door, came hastily back, exclaiming: 

“Papa —papa ! hay gentefuera ! ” (Papa, there 
are people outside.) 

As we sprang to our feet, several shadows appeared 
through the open walls. Lincoln seized his rifle, and 
ran to the door. The next moment he rushed back, 
shouting out 


15 * 


346 


THE JAJR0CH0S- 


“ I told yer so.” 

And, dashing his huge body against the back of 
the ranche, he broke through the cane pickets with a 
crash! 

We were hastening to follow him, when the frail 
structure gave way; and we found ourselves buried, 
along with our host and his women, under a heavy 
thatch of tule (a species of gigantic rushes) and palm 
leaves. 

We heard the crack of our comrade’s rifle without— 
the scream of a victim—the reports of pistols and 
escopettes— the yelling of savage men — and then, 
the roof was raised again; and we were pulled out 
and dragged down among the trees, and tied to their 
trunks, and taunted and goaded, and kicked and 
cuffed, by the most villanous looking set of despera¬ 
does, it has ever been my fortune to fall among. 
They seemed to take a delight in abusing us—yelling 
all the while, like so many demons let loose. 

Our late acquaintance, the cure, was among them ; 
and it was plain that he had brought the party on 
us. His “reverence” looked high and low for 
Lincoln; but, to his great mortification, the hunter had 
escaped. 

We were not long in learning in whose hands we 


THE JAKOCHOS. 


347 


liad fallen; for the name “ Jarauta,”* was on every 
tongue. They were the dreaded Jarochos of the 
bandit priest. 

“We’re in for it now,” said Raoul, deeply mortified 
at the part he had taken in the affair with the cur6. 
“It’s a wonder they have kept us so long. Perhaps 
he ’s not here himself, and they ’re waiting for him.” 

As Raoul said this, the clatter of hoofs sounded 
along the narrow road ; and a horseman came gal¬ 
loping up to the ranche, riding over every thing and 
every body, with a perfect recklessness. 

“That’s Jarauta,” whispered Raoul. “If he sees 
me — but it don’t matter much,” he added, in a lower 
tone, “we’ll have a quick shrift all the same r he can’t 
more than hang—and that he’ll be sure to do.” 

“ Where are these Yankees? ” cried Jarauta, leaping 
out of his saddle. 

“Here, Captain,” answered one of the Jarochos, a 
hideous look' jg griffe, dressed in a scarlet uniform, 
and apparen iy the lieutenant of the band. 

“ How many ? ” 

“Four, Captain.” 

“ Yery well — what are yon waiting for?” 

“To know whether I shall hang or shoot them.” 


Pronounced Harowta. 


348 


THE JAKOCHOS. 


c Shoot them, by all means! Carrambo! we have 
no time for neck-stretching!” 

“There are some nice trees here, Captain,”suggested 
another of the band, with as much coolness as if he 
had been conversing about the hanging of so many 
dogs. He wished — a curiosity not uncommon — to 
witness the spectacle of hanging. 

“Madre de Dios! stupid. I tell you we havn’t 
time for such silly sport. Out with you there. San¬ 
chez! Gabriel! Carlos! send your bullets through 
their Saxon skulls. Quick !” 

Several of the Jarochos commenced unslinging 
their carbines, while those who guarded us fell back 
to be cut cf range of the lead. 

“ Come,” exclaimed Raoul, “ it can’t be worse 
than this—we can only die; and I’ll let the padre 
know who he has got, before I take leave of him — 
a souvenir that won’t make him sleen any sounder 
to-night. Oyez! Padre Jarauta ,” continued he 
calling out in a tone of irony ; “ hav 3 you found 
Marguerita yet?” 

We could see between us and the dim rushlight, 
that the Jarocho started, as if a shot had passed 
through his heart. 

“Hold!” he shouted to the men, who were about 


THE JAR0CH0S. 


349 


taking aim, “ trail those scoundrels hither! A light 
there — fire the thatch ! Yaya! ” 

In a moment, the hnt of the contrabandista was m 
flames, the dry palm-leaves blazing up like flax. 

“ Merciful heaven! they are going to roast us ! ” 

With this horrible apprehension, we were dragged 
up toward the burning pile, close to which stood our 
fierce judge and executioner. 

The bamboos blazed and crackled, and under their 
red glare, we could now see our captors with a terri¬ 
ble distinctness. A more demon-like set, I think, 
couIS not have been found any where out of the 
infernal regions. 

Most of them were Zamboes* and Mestizoes,f and 
not a few pure Africans of the blackest hue, maroons 
from Cuba, and the Antilles, many of them with 
their coarse woolly hair sticking out in matted tufts, 
their white teeth, set in savage grins, their strange 
armor and grotesque attitudes, their wild and pictur¬ 
esque attire, formed a cony? that might have 

pleased a painter in his studio, but which, at the time, 
had no charm for us. 

There were Pintos among them, too—spotted men 
from the tangled forests of Acapulco—pied and 

* Zambo—half Indian, half Negro, t Megtizoe, half Indian half Spanish. 


350 


THE JAEOCHOS. 


speckled with blotches of red, and black and white, 
like hounds and horses. They were the first of this 
race I had ever seen, and their unnatural complexions, 
even at this fearful moment, impressed me with feel¬ 
ings of disgust and loathing. There exists a vast 
tribe of these strange men in a district of the tierra 
caliente , near Acapulco. They can scarcely be said 
to belong to the Mexican government, as the only 
man, whose authority they care a caläco for, is General 
Alvarez, an old Indian, who is himself quite as odd a 
character as any one of the Pintos. Alvarez obeyed 
the call of his government during the late war, and, 
collecting about three thousand Indians, among whom 
there was a sharp “ sprinkling ” of Pintos, turned the 
rear of our army at Puebla, and followed us up into 
the valley of Mexico, without striking a blow; and 
yet these Pintos and Indians of Alvarez are repre¬ 
sented by the Mexicans, as fierce#" and warlike! 

* 

Alvarez frequently gets up a pronunciamento 
against the government; and they have not been 
able hitherto to interfere either with him, or his 
spotted warriors. 

A single glance at this motley crew would have 
convinced us, had we not been quite silre of it already, 
that we had no favors to exoect. There was not a 


THE JAROCHOS. 


351 


countenance among them that exhibited the slightest 
trait, of grace, or mercy. JSTo such expression could 
be seen around us, and we felt satisfied that oiir time 
was come. 

The appearance of their leader did not shake this 
conviction. Revenge and hatred were playing upon 
his sharp sallow features, and his thin lips quivered 
with an expression of malice, plainly habitual. His 
nose, like a parrot’s beak, had been broken by a blow, 
which added to its sinister shape; and his small black 
eyes twinkled with metallic brightness. 

He wore a purplish-colored manga , that covered 
his whole body, and his feet were cased in the red 
leather boots of the country, with heavy silver spurs 
strapped over them. A black sombrero, with its 
band of gold bullion, and tags of the same material- 
completed the tout ensemble of his costume. He 
wore neither beard nor moustache, but his hair, black 
and snaky, hung down trailing over the velvet em¬ 
broidery of his manga—which is a most beautiful 
and graceful garment, peculiar, I believe to Mexico. 

This garment, resembles the serape, in one thing. 
Both have a vent, through which the head is tlnmst, 
leaving the garment to rest upon the shoulders. 
Around this, the manga is always Embroidered and 


352 


THE JAEOCHOS. 


braided, over a circle of two feet in diameter. The 
serape is only a blanket-shaped article, while the 
manga is fashioned something after the style of a 
circle cloak. It is uniform in color; in this again 
differing from the serape, which is speckled like a 
carpet. The color of the manga is often very gay. 
Purple ones are frequently seen, and even red; 
black and blue are common. The manga is rare, 
not being worn so commonly as the serape. It is 
costly, and requires some art in the making up; still, 
you will meet with it now and then, and often cover¬ 
ing the shoulders of a common ranchero. It is a 
picture to see a fine-looking specimen of the ranchero, 
dressed in one of these graceful robes. 

Such was the Padre Jarauta. 

Raoul’s face was before him, upon which he looked 
for some moments without speaking. His features 
twitched, as if under galvanic action, and v we could 
see that his fingers jerked in a similar manner. 

They were painful memories that could produce 
this effect upon a heart of such iron deviltry; and 
Raoul alone knew them. The latter seemed to enjoy 
the interlude, for he lay upon the ground looking 
up at the Jarocho with a smile of triumph upon his 
reckless features! 


^THE JAJROOHOS. 


353 


We were expecting the next speech of the padre 
to be an order for flinging us into the fire, which now 
burned fiercely. Fortunately, this fancy did not seem 
to strike him just then. 

“ Ha! Monsieur,” exclaimed he at length, ap¬ 
proaching Raoul. “ I dreamt that you and I would 
meet again—I dreamt it—ha! ha! ha! it was a 
pleasant dream, but not half so pleasant as the real¬ 
ity ; ha! ha! ha! Don’t you think so?” he added, 
striking our comrade over the face with a mule quirt.* 
“Don’t you think so?” he repeated, lashing him as be¬ 
fore, while his eyes sparkled with a fiendish malignity. 

“Did you dream of meeting Marguerita again?” 
inquired Raoul with a satirical laugh, that sounded 
strange, even fearful, under the circumstances. 

I shall never forget the expression of the Jarocho 
at that moment. His sallow face turned black, his 
lips white, his eyes burned like a demon’s, and 
springing forward with a fierce oath, he planted his 
iron-shod heel upon the face of our comrade. The 
skin peeled off, and the blood followed. 

There was something so cowardly—so redolent of 
a brutal ferocity in the act, that I could not remain 

* A species of whip without any handle, except a band of leather 
shat fastens it to the hand. 


354 


THE JAKOCHOS* 


quiet. With a desperate wrench, I freed my hands, 
skinning my wrists in the effort, and, flinging myself 
upon him, I clutched at the monster’s throat. 

He stepped back; my ankles were tied, and I fell 
upon my face at his feet. 

“ Ho ! ho ! ” cried he, “ what have we here ? An 
officer, eh? Come!” he continued^ “rise up from 
your prayers, and let me look at you; ha, a captain! 
and this? a lieutenant!* Gentlemen, you’re too 
dainty to be shot like common dogs; we’ll not let 
the wolves have you; we ’ll put you out of their 
reach; ha!—ha!—ha! Out of reach of wolves, do 
you hear? And what’s this?” continued he, turning 
to Chane, and examining his shoulders. “ Bah, 
noUitido raso , Irlandes too , oarajo /f What do youx 
do fighting among these heretics against your own 
religion. There renegade!” and he kicked the Irish 
man in the ribs. 

“Thank yer honner,” said Chane, with a grunt, 

“ small fayvors thankfully resaved ; much good may 
it do yer honner! ” 

“ Here Lopez! ” shouted the brigand. 

“How for the fire! ” thought we. 

* He knew our rank from the designations upon our shoulder-straps, 
t A private, an Irishman too. 


THE JAKKCHOS. 


355 


“Lopez, I say!” continued he, calling louder. 

“ Aca—aca /” answered a voice, and the lieu¬ 
tenant who had guarded us, came up, swinging his 
scarlet manga. 

“ Lopez, these, I perceive, are gentlemen of rank; 
and we must usher them into h — a little more grace¬ 
fully ; do you hear ? ” 

“Yes, Captain,” answered the griffe, with stoical 
composure. 

“ Over the cliffs, Lopez. Facilis descensus averni; 
but you don’t understand Latin, Lopez. Over the 
cliffs, do you hear? You understand that?” 

“Yes, Captain,” repeated the Jarocho, moving 
only his lips. 

“ You will have them at the Eagle’s Cave, by six 
in the morning; by six, do you hear?” 

“Yes, Captain,” again replied the subordinate. 

“And if any of them is missing—is missing, do 
you hear?” 

“Yes, Captain.” 

“You will take his place in the dance—the dance, 
ha—ha—ha! You understand that, Lopez?” 

“Yes, Captain.” 

“Enough then, good Lopez—handsome Lopez, 
beautiful Lopez; enough, and good night to you! ” 


356 


THE JAROCHOS. 


Whatever might be the nature of the punishment 
that awaited us at the Eaglets Cave, it was evident 
that Lopez had no intention of becoming proxy for 
any of us. This was plain from the manner in which 
he set about securing us. We were first gagged with 
bayonet shanks, and then dragged out into the bushes. 

Here we were thrown upon our backs, each of us 

* 

in the center of four trees, that formed a parallelogram. 
Our arms and legs were stretched to their full extent, 
and tied severally to the trees; and thus we lay, 
spread out like raw-hides to dry. Our savage captors 
drew the cords so taut, that our joints cracked under 
the cruel tension. In this painful position, with a 
Jarocho standing over each of us, we passed the 
remainder of the night. 

It was a long night—the longest I can remember : 
a night that fully illustrated the horror of monotony. 
I can compare our feelings to those of one under the 
influence of the nightmare. But no — worse than 
that. Our savage sentries occasionally sat down 
upon our bodies, and, lighting their cigarettos, 
chatted gaily, while we groaned! We could not 
protest; we were gagged. But it would have made 
little difference; they would only have mocked us 
the more. 


THE JAROCHOS. 


357 


We lay glaring upon the moon, as she coursed 
through a cloudy heaven. The wind whistled 
through the leaves, and its melancholy moaning 
sounded like our death-dirge. Several times during 
the night, I heard the howl of the prairie wolf, and I 
knew it was Lincoln; but the Jarochos had pickets 
all around; and the hunter dared not approach our 
position. He could not have helped us. 

The morning broke at last; and we were taken 
up, and tied upon the backs of vicious mules, and 
hurried off through the woods. We traveled for some 
distance along a ridge, until we had reached its highest 
point, where the cliff beetled over. Here we were 
unpacked and thrown upon the grass. About thirty 
of the Jarochos guarded us, and we now saw 
them under the broad light of day, but they did not 
look a whit more beautiful than on the preceding 
night. 

Lopez was at their head, and never relaxed his 
vigilance for a moment. It was plain that he con¬ 
sidered the padre a man of his word. 

An exclamation from one of the men drew our 
attention; and, looking around, we perceived a band 
of horsemen straggling up the hill at a slow gallop. 
It was Jarauta, with about fifty of his followers. 


358 


THE JAROCHOS. 


“ Buenas dias , Caballeros ! ”* cried he, m a mocking 
tone, leaping down and approaching us : “I hope you 
passed the night comfortably. Lopez, I am sure, 
provided you with good beds. Didn’t you, Lopez? ” 

“Yes, Captain,” answered the laconic Lopez. ■—*— 

“The gentlemen rested well, didn’t they, Lopez?” 

“Yes, Captain.” 

“No kicking, or tumbling about, eh?” 

“No, Captain.” 

“ Oh! then they rested well; it ’s a good thing; they 
have a long journey before them, havn’t they, Lopez?” 

“Yes, Captain.” 

“I hope, gentlemen, you are ready for the road. 
Do you think you are ready? ” 

As each of us had the shank of a bayonet between 
his teeth, besides being tied neck and heels, it is not 
likely that this interrogatory received a reply; nor 
did his reverence expect any, as he continued putting 
similar questions in quick succession, appealing 
occasionally to his lieutenant for an answer. 

The latter, who was of the taciturn school, con¬ 
tented himself, and his superior too, with a simple 

* “Good day, gentlemen,” the usual morning salutation. There is 
no “good morning” in Spanish; the words “buena manan” which 
signify that, never passing the lips of a Spaniard. 


THE JAKOCHOS. 


359 


“yes,” or “no.” Up to this moment, we had no 
knowledge of the fate that awaited us. We knew 
we had to die—that we knew; but in what way, 
we were still ignorant. I, for one, had made up my 
mind that the padre intended pitching us over the 
cliffs. 

. We were at length enlightened upon this important 
point. We were not to take that awful leap into 
eternity, which I had been picturing to myself. A 
fate more horrible still, awaited us. We were to be 
hanged over the precipice ! — 

As if to- aid the monster in his inhuman design, 
several pine trees grew out horizontally from the edge 
of the cliffs ; and over the branches of these, the 
Jarochos commenced reeving their long lassoes. Ex¬ 
pert in the handling of ropes, as all Mexicans are, 
they were not long in completing their preparations, 
arid we soon beheld our gallows. What they can ac¬ 
complish with ropes and cords is almost incredible. 
1 had a Mexican servant, a mere lad, who could lash 
my chests quicker and firmer, and more sure not to 
come undone, than could be accomplished by any 
two of our soldiers. I have seen them tie up the ‘bois 
de vache’ in ropes, and thus carry it on the backs of 
donkeys ; and I was almost tempted to believe them 


360 


THE JAliOCHOS. 


capable of that feat hitherto deemed impossible, of 
tying np sand in a rope. 

“ According to rank, Lopez,” cried Jarauta, seeing 
that all was ready; the captain first—do you hear? ” 

“Yes, Captain,” answered the imperturbable bri¬ 
gand who superintended the operations. 

“ I shall keep you to the last, Monsieur,” said the 
priest, addressing Raoul; “you will have the pleasure 
of bringing up the rear in your passage through 
purgatory. Ha_— ha — ha! Won’t he, Lopez? ” 

“ Yes, Captain.” 

“May be some of you would like a priest, gentle¬ 
men.” This Jarauta uttered with an ironical grin 
that was revolting to behold. “If you would,” he 
continued, “say so. I sometimes officiate in that 
capacity myself. Don’t I, Lopez? ” 

“Yes, Captain.” 

A diabolical laugh burst from the Jarochos, who 
had dismounted, and were standing out upon the 
cliff, the better to witness the spectacle of our hang- 
ing. 

“Well, Lopez, does any of them say ‘yes’?” 

“No, Captain.” 

“ Ask the Irishman there; ask him; he ought to 
be a good Catholic.” 


THE JAEOCHOS. 


361 


The question was put to Chane — in mockery, of 
course ; for it was impossible for him to answer it; 
and yet he did answer it, for his look spoke a curse, 
as plainly as if it had been uttered through a trumpet. 
The Jarochos did not heed that, but only laughed tho 
louder. 

“Well, Lopez, what says St. Patrick? ‘Yes’ 
or ‘no’?” 

“No, Captain.” 

And a fresh peal of ruffian laughter raug out. The 
rope was placed around my neck in a running noose. 
The other end had been passed over the tree, and lay 
coiled near the edge of the cliff. Lopez held it in 
his hand a short distance above the coil, in order to 
direct its movements. 

“All ready there, Lopez?” cried the leader. 

“ Yes, Captain.” 

“ Swing off the captain, then—no, not yet; let him 
look at the floor on which he is going to dance; that 
is but fair.” 

I had been drawn forward, until my feet projected 
over the edge of the precipice, and close to the root 
of the tree. I was now forced into a sitting posture, 
so that I might look below, my limbs' hanging over. 

Strange to say, I could not resist doing exactly what 
16 


362 


THE JAR0CH0S. 


my tormentor wished. Under other circumstances 
the sight would have been to me appalling; but my 
nerves were strung by the protracted agony I had 
been forced to endure. 

The precipice, on whose verge I sat, formed a 
side of one of those yawning gulfs common in Span¬ 
ish America, and known by the name barrancas. It 
seemed as if a mountain had been scooped out and 
carried away. Not two hundred yards, horizontally 
distant, was the twin jaw of the chasm, like a black- 
burnt wall; yet the torrent that roared and foamed 
between them was full six hundred feet below my 
position! I could have flung the stump of a cigar 
upon the water; in fact an object dropping vertically 
from where I sat, for it was a projecting point, must 
have fallen plump into the stream. 

It was not unlike the canon where we had tossed 
over the dogs ; but it was higher, and altogether more 
deadful and horrible. 

As I looked down, several small birds, whose spe¬ 
cies I did not stay to distinguish, were screaming 
below, and an eagle on his broad bold wing came 
soaring over the abyss, and flapped up to my very 
face. 

u Well Captain,” broke in the sharp voice ot 


THE JAR0CH08. 


363 


Jarauta, “ what do you think of it; a nice soft floor 
to dance upon, is n’t it? Is n’t it, Lopez ?” 

“Yes, Captain.” 

“All ready there? Stop! some music; we must 
have music; how can he dance without music? 
Holloa! Sancho, where ’s your bugle ? ” 

“Here, Captain!” 

“Strike up then ; play Yankee Boodle. Ha! ha! 
ha! Yankee Boodle, do you hear?” 

“Yes, Captain,” answered the man ; and the next 
moment the well-known strains of the American 
national air sounded upon my ear, producing a 
strange, sad feeling, I shall never forget. 

“ How, Lopez,” cried the padre. 

I was expecting to be swung out, when I heard 
him again shout “ stay! ” at the same time stopping 
the music. 

“ By heavens! Lopez, I have a better plan,” he 
cried ; “ why did I not think of it before ? It ’s not 
too late, yet. Ha! ha! ha! Carrambo! They 
shall dance upon their heads! That ’s better, is n’t 
it, Lopez ? ” 

“Yes, Captain.” 

A cheer from the Jarochos announced their ap¬ 
proval of this change in the ceremony. 


364 


THE JAKOCHOS. 


The padre made a sign to Lopez, who approached 
him, appearing to receive some directions. 

I did not at first comprehend the novelty that was 
about to be introduced. I was not long in ignorance. 
One of the Jarochos, seizing me by the collar, 
dragged me back from the ledge, and transferred the 
noose from my neck to my ankles. Horror heaped 
upon horror! I was to be hung head downward , 
and thus left to die by inches ! 

“ That will be much prettier, won’t it, Lopez ? ” 

“ Yes, Captain.” 

“The gentleman will have time to make himself 
ready for Heaven before he dies ; won’t he, Lopez ? ” 
“Yes, Captain.” 

“Take out the gag ; let him have his tongue free : 
he ’ll need that to pray with ; won’t he Lopez ? ” 

“ Yes, Captain.” 

One of the Jarochos jerked the bayonet roughly 
from my mouth, almost dislocating my jaw. The 
power of speech was gone. I could not, if I had 
wished it, have uttered an intelligible word. 

“ Give him his hands, too ; he ’ll need them to 
keep off the Zopilotes /* won’t he Lopez 
“ Yes Captain ” 

*The black vulture of Mexico. 



THE JAROCHOS. 


365 


The thong that bound my wrists was cut, leaving my 
hands free. I was on my back, my feet toward the 
precipice. A little to my right stood Lopez holding 
the rope that was about to launch me into eternity. 

“ Now, the music! Take the music for your cue, 
Lopez ; then jerk him up! ” cried the sharp voice of 
the fiend. 

I shut my eyes — waiting for the pull. It was but 
a moment, but it seemed a lifetime. There was a 
dead silence — a stillness like that which precedes 
the bursting of a rock, or the firing of a jubilee-gun. 
Then I heard the first note of the bugle, and along 
with it a crack — the crack of a rifle! A man 
staggered over me, besprinkling my face with blood ; 
and, falling forward, disappeared. 

Then came the pluck upon my ancles, and I was 
jerked, head downward, into the empty air. I felt 
my feet touching the branches above; and throwing 
up my arms, I grasped one, and swung my body 
upward. After two or three efforts, I lay along the 
main trunk, which I embraced with the hug of despair. 
I looked downward. A man was hanging below— 
far below— at the end of the lariat! It was Lopez. 
I knew his scarlet manga at a glance. He was 
hanging by the thigh, in a snarl of the rope. 


366 


THE JAROCHOS. 


His hat had fallen off. I could see the red blood 
running over his face, and dripping from his long 
snaky locks. He hung head down. I could see 
that he was dead! 

The hard thong was cutting my ancles, and, oh, 
heaven! under our united weight, the roots were 
cracking! 

Appalling thought! “ the tree will give way / ” 

I held fast with one arm. I drew forth my knife — 
fortunately I still had one — with the other. I opened 
the blade with my teeth ; and, stretching backward 
and downward, I drew it across the thong. It parted 
with a “snig,” and the red object left me like a flash 
of light. There was a plunge upon the black water 
below — a plunge and a few white bubbles, but the 
body of the Jarocho, with its scarlet trappings, never 
came up after that plunge. 

During all this time, shots were ringing over me. 
I could hear the shouts and cheering of men, the 
trampling of heavy hoofs and the clashing of sabers. 
I knew that some strange deliverance had reached us. 
I knew that a skirmish was going on above me ; but 
I could see nothing. I was below the level of the 
cliff. 

I lay in a terrible suspense — listening. I dared 


■^TIIE JAROCHQS. 


367 


not change my posture. I dared not move. The 
weight of the Jarocho’s body had hitherto held my 
feet securely in the notch; but that was gone; and 
my ancles were still tied. A movement, and my legs 
might fall off the limb; and drag me downward. I 
was faint too, from the protracted struggle for life and 
death, and I hugged the tree, and held on like a 
wounded squirrel.* 

The shots seemed less frequent; the shouts appeared 
to recede from the cliffs. Then I heard a cheer — an 
Anglo Saxon cheer, an American cheer — and the 
next moment, a well-known voice rang in my ears. 

“By the livin catamount! he’s yeer yit! whooray! 
whoop! Hiver say die! Hole on Cap’n, teeth an 
toe-nail! Yeer, boys! clutch on a wheen o’^yer! quick, 
book my claws, Hat! now—pull — all thegether! 
Hooray!” 

I felt a strong hand grasping the collar of my coat, 
and I was raised from my perch, and landed upon 
the top of the cliff. 

I looked around upon my deliverers. Lincoln was 
dancing like a lunatic, uttering his wild, half-Indian 
yells. A dozen men, in the dark green uniform of 

* These little animals, when wounded, will often hang suspended 
upon a branch till life is extinct 


368 


THE JAHOCHOS. 


the “ mounted rifles,” stood looking on, and laughing 
at this grotesque exhibition. Close by, another party 
were guarding some prisoners; while a hundred 
others were seen, in scattered groups, along the ridge, 
returning from the pursuit of the Jarochos, whom 
v they had completely routed. 




















































TIIli TRAPPER’S BEST SHOT. 











































































































3V jlesf §tyof. 


Wilson and Cameron stood apart from their com¬ 
panions. With folded arms and thoughtful faces, 
they watched the shadows of night stealing over lake 
and chapparel. 

“ An hour like this casts a spell upon my spirit,” 
said Cameron. “ I love to see the glare of day fade, 
and give place to the dim, placid twilight.” 

“I have similar feelings,” replied Wilson, “ but 
I like night best when more advanced toward the 
small hours, and the moon and stars are brightly 
beaming.” 

Cameron made no reply, and the parties remained 
silent. Wilson was the first to speak. 

“ That ’s a heavy rifle of your’s,” he said, glancing 
at the weapon upon which Cameron was leaning.” 
u I dare say it has been of service to you in its time.” 

“No money could induce me to part with it, because 
16 * 


370 


THE BANGER’S BEST SHOT. 


I have- proved its metal on many occasions. Did I 
ever tell yon of an adventure that I had once near 
Red River?” 

“You never did; I should like to hear it,” said 
Wilson. 

“Several years ago,” resumed Cameron, “I was 
hunting near Cross Timbers, not far from Red River. 
The Indians were- then troublesome, and frequently 
committed their depredations upon the frontier 
settlements: but I was fond of hunting and cared 
little for them, willing to trust to my own courage 
and ingenuity in any emergency that might occur. 
I carried this same rifle, and was called one of the 
best shots in the country. 

“Many people said the piece was too heavy for 
common use; but I was accustomed to it, and it 
didn’t feel burdensome to me; and when I fired, it 
was sure to do the right thing, for what animal could 
carry off an ounce and a half of lead, skillfully sped 
on its errand ? 

/ 

“ Having discovered Indian signs one day, I thought 
it best to change my hunting ground; and so put 
a considerable distance between me and the spot, and 
encamped on a wide prairie, bounded on the east by 
the Cross Timbers. Hot long after this event. I was 


THE RANGER’S BEST SHOT. 


3T1 


sitting on the bank of a small stream, resting my 
weary limbs after a long and fatiguing hunt, when I 
was fired upon and slightly wounded. 

“ I was fortunate enough to discover the marksman, 
who proved to be an Indian — of what tribe I do not 
now remember—I instantly shot him dead, and then 
perceived that he was not alone; for one of his 
brethren was with him, who made good his escape 
Time passed on, and I was undisturbed in mj 
amusements for a long time. 

“ One day, not feeling very well, I returned to my 
camp sooner than usual. I laid down to sleep, but 
could not. I felt uneasy and nervous, and so arose 
and went out on the prairie. The grass was not very 
tall, and the hot suns of the season had dried it until 
it was crispy, and rattled as I walked through it. I 
ascended a gentle swell and looked around me. The 
scene was a grand one. On one hand were the Cross 
Timbers, dimly seen in the distance, resembling* a 
dense wall of wood built by human hands; while in 
every other direction the prairie stretched away until 
lost in the distance. The sun was getting low, and 
looked like a sunset on the sea.. As my eyes 
wandered from point, to point they were suddenly 
fixed upon a solitary figure several hundred yards 


372 


THE RANGER S BEST SHOT. 


distant, at the foot of the long swell or roll upon 
which I was standing. 

“ He stood in an open space, and at first I wondered 
how that could be, as the grass was so high in every 
other place; but the affair soon explained itself. 
More careful examination showed me that the solitary 
object was an Indian, and his object in plucking up 
the dry grass was evident; he was going to fire the 
prairie! It was doubtless the same fellow that had 
escaped at the time I had been fired on. He had 
discovered my retreat, and was about to revenge his 
comrade in a signal manner. 

“ The wind was blowing fresh toward me, and if the 
grass had been set on fire no power on earth could 
have saved me, for the fleetest horse could not run 
fast enough to escape its devouring flames. A terrible 
dread of that kind of death came over me. I stood 
like one fascinated, and gazed at the preparations of 
the savage. He stood in the middle of the open 
space he had made, with a burning torch in his hand. 
Innumerable thoughts rushed through my mind in an 
instant of time. I was never so completely paralyzed 
and stupefied before in my life. The power of thought 
seemed to be the only power left me, and that was 
stimulated to an unnatural degree. The past, present, 


THE RANGER’S BEST SHOT. 


373 


and future, were reviewed and speculated upon, in 
that brief and broken fragment of time in which 
the savage stood waiting for the brand to burn more 
brightly before thrusting it into the grass. 

u Yes, my destiny was to be burned!—some hunter 
or traveler would find my body charred and black¬ 
ened ; and others after a time would pass my bones 
bleaching in the sun. 

“I shuddered ; my eyes felt hot; my throat was dry, 
and I imagined that I felt the flames creeping over 
me. If it had been a danger that I could have 
battled with, or, if I could have seen any chance for 
escape depending upon my own exertions, it would 
have been different; but now all I could do was to 
stand and stare the most dreadful of all deaths in the 
face. 

“ You must remember that all these ideas and re¬ 
flections rushed through my mind in the shortest 
appreciable space of time; for you must know that 
the sudden prospect of great danger from which there 
is no apparent mode of escape, imparts to the brain a 
horrible faculty of thought, of which the mind at ease 
can form no possible conception. 

“ I closed my eyes in prayer, and commended my 
soul to God ; but it was impossible for me to close 


374 


THE RANGER’S BEST SHOT. 


my eyes against the one great and absorbing idea in 
my mind — that of being burnt up like a vile reptile 
that crawls in the weeds. 

“My lips unclosed ; as they did so, my eyes rested 
upon my trusty rifle; it was the first time I had 
thought of it, for the distance was great between me 
and my enemy ; but now it looked like an old friend, 
and the only one that had the power to save me. 

“ I embraced the thought that the sight of my 
rifle called up — a species of joy which is nearly 
overpowered by an antagonizing feeling. 

“ One chance still remained — a small chance, it 
was true, but still a chance ; and despair cannot 
completely paralyze and subdue the heart, while even 
one faint hope remained. I lifted the instrument 
upon which hung my destiny. As my glance ran 
over the intervening distance, I felt how desperate 
indeed was my prospect of life ; for an hundred good 
marksmen might try their skill in vain, in aiming 
at an object so far off. Then I remembered that my 
weapon was of uncommon calibre and weight, and 
would throw a ball further than any I had ever seen. 
1 recollected also, that I had loaded it that very day 
with uncommon care, and for a long shot. 

“ The Indian moved the torch, and was about to 


THE RANGER’S BEST SHOT. 


375 


apply it to the combustible material; there was no 
time to lose. The rifle came to my shoulder quick 
and firm, and I braced up my nerves for a ready aim 
with a strong effort of the will. I looked through the 
‘ double sights,’ and the muzzle covered the Indian’s 
head. My heart seemed to stop beating, held in the 
grasp of that terrible suspense. It was but an 
instant—then the rifle sent an ounce and a half of 
lead on its mission with a crack that was unusually 
loud and sharp, and a recoil which threw me back a 
few paces. 

“The smoke curled away, but I dared not look. 
I passed my hand slowly across my forehead, for my 
brain was throbbing painfully. Every moment I 
expected to be greeted by a dense smoke from the 
burning prairie, and to hear the hissing of the burn¬ 
ing flame ; but nothing of the kind occurred, and I 
ventured to look toward the spot where the savage 
had stood with his torch ; I took courage, reloaded 
my rifle, and hastily walked toward the place. 

“ I reached it — the Indian lay upon his back, the 
brand half extinguished, beside him ; an ounce and 
a half of lead had passed through his head. I sank 
down, overpowered with gratitude, and the various 
emotions which such an incident was calculated to 


376 


THE KA.,GEii‘b BEST SHOT. 


inspire. This was the greatest shot I ever made, and 
probably shall never equal it again. Can you won¬ 
der that I am at ached to the rifle ? ” 

“Not at all,” said the Captain earnestly. “I 
should never part with it, if it was mine.” 



C 



MRS. HOLMES’ POPULAR TALES 

ARE WELCOMED BY ALL 

W 10 enjoy natural, truthful, and vivacious writing. Her books are 
always entertaining, from their fresh and vivid portrayal of character 
and manners, their ready appreciation of the ludicrous, and happy 
adaptation to circumstances. Having lived both North and South, she 
unites experience with quick perception of salient points, and a ready 
pen to convey her impressions to her readers. m 

-- 

Nov/ ready, uniform in style, 

’LEM BIVEKS. 416 pages 12mo. $1 00 

HOmEESTEAO OTV THE HILLSIDE. 

380 pages 12mo. $1 OO 

MEADOW SHOOK; or, ROSA LEE. 

380 pages I2mo. $1 00 

DORA DEAN AND HIA6GIE MILLER. 

474 pages 18«io. $1 00 


Mrs. Holmes possesses an enviable talent in the study of American 
character, which is so perfectly developed by acute observation from 
life, that it would be impossible for her to write an uninteresting 
book. 

For Opinions of the Press , see the following pages. 

-- 

* Either book sent by mail, postpaid , upon receipt of the price. 

Address Cf. MS. Publisher, 

25 PARK ROW, NEW YORK, 
SOLD BY ALL BOOKSELLERS. 






Quiet, Gentle, Home-like, Earnest, Truthful. 


MEADOW BROOK; or, ROSA LEE. 

BY MARY J. HOLMES, 

Author of “ ’Lena Rivers,” “ Homestead on the Hillside,” etc., etc. 


One Volume, l£mo, 3S0 pages. Price $1 00. 
- « - 


OPINIONS OF THE PRESS. 

No admirer of Mrs. Holmes’ writings will thank us for a “ critical” opinion of this, 
her latest and best work. The time for such a thing has gone by. But surely they will 
pardon us if we dwell lingeringly and lovingly over one or two of her characters:—the 
angel-like Jessie, the Rightly-named Angel of the Pines, who, though a child, went 
about like a ministering angel, when all others had fled the pestilence that walked at 
noonday, and at last fell before its withering stroke. Surely, if a tear falls here, it falls 
in the right place. And then Rosa: —Rosa at thirteen the schoolmistress and in love. 
One year after, Rosa the governess was again in love. How we are interested in the 
tangled web of her life-experience, and how we rejoice when at last the orange-flowers 
crown her brow, and the storm-tossed barque reaches the sure haven of repose: 

“ The blessing given, the ring is on; 

And at God’s altar radiant run 
The currents of two lives in one.” 

Ada, the deceiving, merits our scorn; Ada, the dissipated, somewhat of our pity. Dr. 
Clayton we despise for his fickleness, honor for his after-manliness, and congratulate for 
his eventual happiness.— National American. 

We have read this book with no little satisfaction, for it has a reality about it that 
touches a spot not always sensitive to descriptions written with more pretence and lite¬ 
rary style. It is particularly attractive to one with a New-England experience, as its 
earlier chapters are drawn from life in the country portions of that region, and those 
immediately following are laid in Boston. We do not mean to intimate that the book 
is carelessly written, but that it is “the touch of nature that makes all men kin” that is 
its especial charm. It does not read like a romance, but like a calm narration by some 
friend of events occurring in a circle of one’s old friends, and the intense interest with 
which we follow the narrative seems to be rather from personal feeling than from the 
usual false excitement of the overstrained sentimentalities of most of the modern works 
of fiction which “read like a book.”— Newark Advertiser. 

Our friends in the novel-reading line will gladly hail a new work called “ Meadow 
Brook,” by Mrs. Mary J. Holmes, author of “Tempest and Sunshine,” and several other 
well-known and popular works. “ Meadow Brook” is an exceedingly attractive book, 
and one that will alternately call forth smiles and tears. 'The chapters delineating the 
life of the youthful “ school-ma’am,” and her experience in “boarding round,” may be 
termed “ rich” in every sense of the word. We doubt if their equal can be met with in 
any of the novels of the present day. The after-life of Rosa Lee, the heroine of Meadow 
Brook, will be found to be of equal, if not of superior interest to the earlier part, so 
graphically delineated in the first half-dozen chapters.— Providence Journal. 

Many of her characters might be, if they are not, drawn from life. We have met a 
little Jessie whose bright, sweet face, winning ways, and sunny, happy temper, made 
her a favorite with all who knew her. Jessie Lansing vividly recalls our little Jessie 
who, we hope, is still the sunbeam of her own sweet Southern home. Mrs. Holmes 
draws her pictures from the deep welling fountain of her own heart and life, reaching 
our hearts as well as our imaginations, and will always meet a cordial reception when¬ 
ever she appears.— Binghamton Republican. 

“Meadow Brook” is a plain story of American life and American people, with capital 
illustrations of American habits and manners. . . The story is a well-written common- 
sense affair, containing much that will please the reader. Nothing is distorted or over¬ 
drawn, but all is calculated to impress the reader with a belief in the writer—that is 
that she is telling a true tale.— Rochester Advertiser. 


Sold by all Booksellers, 
receipt of the price. 


Single copies sent by mail, postage paid, upon 

C. M. SAXTON, Publisher, 

25 Park Row, New York. 




A Book which will not be forgotten. 

’LENA RIVERS. 

BY MAKY J. HOLMES, 

Author of “Tempest and Sunshine,’” “The English Orphans,” “The Homestead 

on the Hillside,” etc. etc. 

I»» One Volume, 416 Pages, 12mo. Price $1 00. 

As the social and domestic relations are the great sources of happi- 

ess, or its opposites, 60 those romances that properly treat of those re¬ 
lations—of the virtues that adorn, and of the vices that deform them 
—are clearly the most interesting, impressive, and useful. 

’LENA RIVERS is an American Domestic Story, unveiling in a mas¬ 
terly manner the sources of social and domestic enjoyment, or of dis¬ 
quiet and misery. By intermarriages of New England and Kentucky 
parties, a field is opened to exhibit both Yankee and Southern domestic life , 
for which the talented authoress was well prepared, being of Yankee 
birth and early education, and having subsequentlyresided in the South. 
She was thus especially fitted to daguerreotype the strictly domestic 
and social peculiarities of both sections. 

’LENA RIVERS AND THE PRESS. 

A work of unusual promise. Mrs. Holmes possesses an enviable talent in the study of 
American character, which is so perfectly developed by acute observation from life, that 
it would now be impossible for her to write an uninteresting book.— Phila. Sat. Bulletin. 

There still lingers the artist-mind, enlivening, cheering, and consoling by happy 
thoughts and pleasant words; moving the heart alternately to joy or sorrow, convulsing 
with laughter, or bringing tears to the eyes.— Rochester American. 

The characters are well drawn, and the tale is one of interest. It will find many well 
pleased readers.— Albany Statesman. 

The story is simple, natural, truthful.— Rochester Daily Advertiser. 

Before we were aware, we had read the first two chapters. We read on—and on—and 
it was long after midnight when w T e finished the volume. We could not leave it. We 
know of no work with which we could compare “’Lena Rivers”—so as to form a just 
estimation of its merits.— Merrickville Chronicle. 

It is not the first of th-e author's works, but it is the best— State Register. 

To the sex we commend it, on the assurance of its merit volunteered to us by ladies 
in whose critical acumen we have the fullest confidence.— Buffalo Express. 

The 6tory opens in New England, and is continued in Kentucky, with very lively and 
characteristic sketches of scenery and character in both States. It is both good and m- 
TKKESTiNG .—New York Daily Times. 

The moral of the plot is excellent. Cowardly virtue, as exhibited by’Lena's father, 
may here learn a lesson without suffering his bitter experience; while the rashness of 
youth may be warned against desperate acts, before a perfect understanding is had.— New 
Bedford Express. 

This is an American novel possessing merit far superior to many which have been 
published during the last tw r o years. The delineations of character are neatly and accu¬ 
rately drawn, and the tale is a deeply interesting one, containing many and varied inci¬ 
dents, illustrative of the workings of the human mind, and of social and domestic life in 
different parts of this country. The lesson to be deduced from its pages is a profitable 
one—which is more than can be said of many novels of the day.— Portfolio. 

The scene of this tale is in Kentucky, although New England figures in it somewhat, 
and New Englanders still more largely. It is written in a lively style, and the interest 
is not allowed to flag till the story terminates. One of the best things in the book is its 
sly and admirable hits at American aristocracy. It quietly shows some of “the peUdan 
vocation,” wdiicb have, early or late, been connected with the “first families,’ anti gives 
us a peep behind the curtain into the private life of those who are often objects of envy. 

Sold by all Booksellers. Single copies mailed, post paid, on receipt of 
the price. C. M. SAXTON, Publisher, 

25 Park Row, New York. 




Natural, Truthful, and Enticing 


THE 


HOMESTEAD 01 THE HILLSIDE, 



#%r ®aks. 


BY MRS. MARY J. HOLMES, 

The Popular Author of “Tempest and Sunshine” and “The English Orphans.” 

la One Volume, 380 Pages, 1 2mo. Price SI 00. 

The numerous and delighted readers of “Tempest and Sunshine” and “The En¬ 
glish Orphans ”—Mrs. Holmes’former works—will be pleased to learn that another 
work of their favorite author is again within their reach. That this work will be ea¬ 
gerly sought and widely read, her former brilliant success affords the surest guaranty. 

Mrs. Holmes is a peculiarly pleasant and fascinating writer. Her subjects are the home 
and family relations. She has the happy faculty of enlisting the sympathies and affec¬ 
tions of her readers and of holding their attention to her pages, with deep and absorbing 
interest. TEie Homestead mi tine Hillside is, therefore, attracting the 
liveliest attention ; and readers and 


REVIEWERS ARE DECIDED IN ITS PRAISE. 

Any one taking up the book must take a “through ticket,” as mere is no stopping 
place “this side” of the last page. The arts of the designing woman are given in their 
true color, showing to what oily-tongued hypocrisy humanity, will stoop for the further¬ 
ance of its purposes ; what a vast amount of unhappiness one individual may bring up¬ 
on an otherwise happy family ; what untold misery may result from the croveling- spirit 
of fancied revenge, when cherished in the bosom of its unhappy possessor. — Brock- do t 
Gazette. 


The talented author of “Tempest and Sunshine” has again hit on a happy subject. 
“The Homestead on the Hillside” has afforded her ample scope for the exercise of those 
high descriptive powers and those striking portraitures of character which have ren¬ 
dered her former works such general favorites. In one word, the book before us is no 
ordinary production .—Philadelphia Daily News. 

Vigor, variety, a boldness and freedom of style and expression, eccentricity alike of 
character and incident, are among its most striking peculiarities. She has improved in 
the book before us, upon her first effort, and several of these tales will not fail to add’ to 
her already well established reputation as a vigorous and attractive writer.— Dost. Atlas. 

The artfulness and resignation exhibited by the Widow Carter, in her modest but not 
unnatural endeavors to gain the tender regard of Mr. Hamilton, as she smoothed the pil¬ 
low of his dying wife, deserve the especial attention of gentlemen liable to a like attempt 
from a similar cause. They will doubtless see a dozen widows in the very dress and po¬ 
sition of the philanthropic Mrs. Carter. There is quite a moral for youn^ Misses too in 
the book.”— N. Y. Dutchman. ° ’ ’ 


It cannot fail to please the lovers of flowing and graceful narrative.— Tribune. 

It will be superfluous to say that Mrs. Holmes is a charming writer .—True Flag. 

Its genial spirit, its ready wit, its kindly feeling, will doubtless meet with due appreci¬ 
ation from all its readers. It touches with ready sympathy the fountains of mirth and 
tears, and one can neither restrain the one nor withhold the other, in reading its tales of 
joy and sorrow .—Broome Repub. 


We have perused this hook with none hut feelings of pleasure; and we have closed its 
pages, bearing in onr heart its sweet spirit and eloquent moral. We heartily commend 
it .—Lockport Courier. 


Her portrayal of human character and actions are admirable; her style is fluent and 
fascinating, and a most intense degree of interest is kept up throughout the volume 
Put among all its excellent qualities, most prominent appears its eloquent morals. Read 
St, so that you can have it to say, “ l once read a good book.” — Trknnrt, Democrat 


Sold by all Booksellers, 
receipt of the price. 


Single copies sent by mail, post paid , upon 
C M. SAXTON, Publisher, 


25 Park Row, New York. 




THE LIFE 

OF 

LADY JANE GREY. 

BY E>. W. BARTLETT. 

In One Volume, 298 pp. 16mo. Price 75 Cents. 

Few women have ever lived whose unfortunate history 
has more deeply enlisted the sympathies of the world than that of 
Lady Jane Grey. The beauty of her person, the activity of her mind, 
the sweetness of her temper, and the purity of her character, were 
alike subjects of universal praise. That one so brilliant, so lovely, and 
so pure, should have fallen by the ax of the executioner, excites, even 
at this day, in all readers, a thrill of horror. Her history is peculiarly 
interesting, and embodies the story of one of the most charming hero¬ 
ines of history. 

Her melancholy fate will ever constitute one of the most 
striking illustrations of the cruelty, the madness and folly of religious 
bigotry and persecution, and of the recklessness of unscrupulous politi¬ 
cal ambition. 


WHAT REVIEWERS SAY. 

A work which will be eagerly sought, for the reader has in this volume one of the 
most interesting portions of English history .—Cayuga Chief. 

A judicious biography of one of the most charming heroines of history.— New York 
Daily Times. 

This is a charming book. We have read it with the most thrilling interest— Religiou* 

11 v. aid. 

Mr. Bartlett always writes well, and he sustains his high reputation in this work, which 
is well set off by the publishers .—Boston Olive Branch. 

A very readable book.—Hartford Courant. 

We could wish that this volume might find a place in every young lady’s library, to 
the displacement of some of the pernicious novels of the day .—Albany Courier. 

Very well written, and certainly worthy of becoming widely known.— Arthur 's Items 

Gazette. 

His chapters and sentences are symmetrically constructed, while his ready perception 
appropriates all the points of interest in his subject, and rejects that which is irrelevant 
or not authentic .—Hartford Times. 

An easy, graceful writer, he seldom fails to add interest to the subject on which he 
writes —Christian Secretary. 

SOLD BY ALL BOOKSELLERS. 

Single Copies mailed, POST-PAID, to any address. 

Published by 

C. M. SAXTON, No. 25 PARK ROW, NEW YORK. 



THE LIFE' 

OF 

JOAN OF ARC, 

Haiti of 6Leans. 

BY D. W. BARTLETT, 

AUTHOR OK “LADY JANE GREY,” “WHAT I SAW IN LONDON,” ETC. 

Steel Portrait, 221 pp. Muslin. Price 75 Cents. 

We here present a popular life of the world-renowned Matd of Or¬ 
leans — the great military “Heroine of History.” Her peculiar story 
cannot fail to attract lively attention, and be read with the deepest 
interest. 


Notices of tUe Press—Brief Extracts, 


It is written and compiled in Bartlett’s peculiar and popular style, and is a plain and 
authentic history of the I ife of the heroine of France.— Connecticut Unioji. 

The view which the present biographer takes of her, shows her in a most attractive 
light, and the volume is eminently interesting throughout— Syracuse Eve. Chronicle. 

It possesses all the attraction of a romance, while it is a veritable and well authen¬ 
ticated history.— Christian Ambassador. 

This volume will be read with interest and profit The story of Joan of Arc can 
never be truthfully told without interest— Auburn Daily Advertiser. 

Mr. Bartlett though still a young man, has already signalized himself in the line of 
authorship. Ilis style is easy and graceful, and he never attempts to gild the qualities 
of his heroes at the expense of truth — Christian Secretary. 

The life and adventures of the greatest heroine of history are graphically written.— 
Syracuse Itejmb. 

Every thing relating to Joan of Arc is of interest, and Mr. Bartlett has furnished a book 
which will be eagerly sought for, and which will prove a rare treat to the reader.— Cayu • 
ga Chief 

It contains an admirably written history of the French heroine, the facts having been 
jaiefully collated from numerous authorities.— Dodge's Literary Museum. 

The history before us is one of thrilling interest; and so much so that we could no! 
lay aside the "book, until we had read it through.— Religious Herald , lAirtjord, Ct. 

We thank our neighbor Bartlett for having given so good a book to the reading public 
It will be useful as well as entertaining.— Hartford Cowrant. 

SOLD BY ALL BOOKSELLERS. 

Single Copies mailed, POST-PAID, to any address. 

Published by 

C. M. SAXTON, No. 25 PARK ROW, NEW YORK. 




FLEETWOOD’S LIFE OF CHRIST 
Iji s g^ostbs. 

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY PROF. SEAGER. 

Six Illustrations, Owe Volume, 469pp. 12mo. Price, $1 25. 

•‘’Twas this A.1 mighty Word that all things made; 

He grasps whole nature in his single hand; 

All the eternal truths in him are laid.” 

Every new contribution to the stock of Christian knowledge must be 
regarded as a substantial benefit to the cause of truth in any age ; but 
at a time unprecedented for the multiplication of books, whose chief 
aim is to furnish light reading, giving the mind occupation without the 
trouble of thinking, a work which tends directly both to develop the 
intellect, and sanctify the heart, can not fail to commend itself to the 
public. Such a work is “Fleetwood’s Life of Christ.” 

The author of this volume has collected, with great discrimination, 
into a beautifully-connected narrative, and arranged, as far as practi¬ 
cable, in chronological order, all the most striking events in the life of 
the Saviour, from his glorious advent to his more glorious return to 
heaven, interspersing the whole with such reflections as seemed neces¬ 
sary, both to give unity to the plan of the work, and to illustrate, in the 
most impressive manner, the grand design of his mission. The orna¬ 
mental in style is purposely avoided, while a simplicity and clearness 
of diction, admirably corresponding to that of the New Testament, is 
carefully studied. Those soul-inspiring truths which for ages were the 
burden of prophecy, and into which “the angels desired to look,” are 
too sublime to admit the artificial adorning so profusely lavished upon 
works of mere taste. They 

“ need not the aid of foreign ornament, 

But are, when unadorned, adorned the most.” 

The wide-spread fame which the work has acquired, both in this 
country and in Europe, has induced us to prepare an edition at such a 
price as to place it within the reach of readers of all classes. A good 
book should be made, as far as possible, like the sun-light and the rain, 
the common property of all. This edition, although furnished at one 
fifth the price of the large work, contains every important feature of 
that, except the expensive illustrations. 

Besides the Life of Christ, this work contains, also, the Lives of 
St. Peter, St. Paul, St. Andrew, St. James the Great, St. John the 
Evangelist, St. Philip, St. Bartholomew, St. Matthew, St. Thomas, St. 
James the Less, St. Simon the Zealot, St. Jude, St. Matthias, St. Mark, 
St. Luke, St. Barnabas, St. Stephen, Timothy, and Titus. 

SOLD BY ALL BOOKSELLEKS. 

Single Copies mailed, POST-PAID, to any address. 

Published by 

0. M. SAXTON, No. 25 PARK ROW, NEW YORK. 




THE LIVES 


OF 


SARI1 MARTHA WASHINGTON. 

Poorer ani ®ift <rf ffiasirragtim. 

BY MARGARET C. CONKLING. ' 


With Steel Portrait? 248 pp., I 61110 ., ITIuslin. Price 75 Cents« 

“The Mother in her office holds the key of the soul.” 

“ A perfect woman, nobly planned, 

To warn, to comfort, and command, 

And yet a spirit still and bright, 

>. With something of angel’s light.” 

The mother and wife of our “ nation's chief,” have high claims 
upon our respect and love, if for no other reason, because they bore 
those dear relations to one so worthily honored and revered. But 
they have other and stronger claims. The Mother of Washington w@# 
distinguished by one unbroken series of praiseworthy actions—noblw, 
inspiring, magnanimous actions. Her life was uniformly so gentle, no 
amiable, so dignified, that it is difficult to find any one act more stri¬ 
kingly grand than the rest. The Wife of Washington was a fit com¬ 
panion of such a man. In her own proper sphere she shone with a 
lustre as mild, as steady, as serene as his. She believed that 

“A woman’s noblest station is retreat; 

Her fairest virtues fly from public sight: 

Domestic worth—that shuns too strong a light.” 


Miss Conkling, who is a daughter of Judge Conkling, of Auburn, is favorably 
known as the author of Harper’s translation of “ Florian’s History of the Moors «I 
Spain.” She also wrote “ Isabel, or the Trials of the Heart.” In the preparation of 
^iis pretty little volume, she has done a praiseworthy deed, and we hope she will re¬ 
ceive the reward she merits. 

The mother and wife of Washington were, in many respects, model women, and the 
daughters of America will do well to study their character, which is finely drawn on 
these pages .—Literary Messenger. 

This acceptable and well written volume goes forth upon a happy mission — the au 
thor has taught in the work 


“ how divine a thing 
A woman may be made,” 

by unfolding those charms of character which belong to the mother and wife of the hero 
of the Land of the Free; and in the companionship of which, while they illustrated 
tlie watchful tenderness of a mother, and the confiding affections of a wife, is shown 
those influences which made up the moral sentiments of a man, whose moral grandeur 
will be felt ia all that is future in government or divine in philosophy ; and one whose 
name is ad<>red by all nations, as tue leader of man in the progress of government, tc 
that perfection of human rights where all enjoy liberty and equality. 

The design of the volume is, to picture a mother fitting the “ Father of his Count?y," 
in a light full of the inexhaustible nobleness of vornan s nature, and yet as possessing 
that subdued and quiet simplicity, where Truth becomes the Hope on which Faith 
looks at the future with a smile .—Syracuse Star. 

SOLD BY ALL BOOKSELLEKS. 


Published 


Single Copies mailed, POST-PAID, to any affiteessc 

by \3 ** 

C. M. SAXTON, No. 25 PARK ROW, NEW YORK, v 


LB Fe ’10 











































•* o o 

» ©SlQf * /v o ^v/p^v" * -our v vVw 

^ ** v ^ ^ * ill^-^ t^o* ° S- a 

♦ * J>X *^£^§$2 

> * *• "^%mS * * ^ > -y cx ^!®V 

%%Z-*J ... ,.v* • *- v<.'A“'\ > 

v-\, /-Ä'- :ÄV 

|i SI ifl: ^V-.W.*^\ 

E& * >,v ^ o 'tw* «S' V^r.**<s, .. ^ 


vl 


HECKMAN 

BINDERY INC. 

|DEC 92 



N. MANCHESTER, 
INDIANA 46962 


II » ^ov * 

J k^£: 


















































